JOSHUA
The Story of the Hero Whose Genius as a Warrior Won the Land of Canaan for Israel.
(The Israelites found the land of Canaan occupied by a fierce and warlike people with whom they fought many battles and waged long campaigns. The story of this warfare is filled with deeds of cruelty and violence, yet it is no more terrible than war has always been. We cannot understand why God has permitted so much suffering, but we know that in some cases at least the world has advanced in freedom through the loss and sacrifice of war. Even in war men have grown less cruel, and we may hope for the time when all war shall cease and men shall live together as brethren.)
JOSHUA IS MADE CAPTAIN OF THE HOST.
Spies Are Sent to Jericho.
Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, saying, "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, to the land which I give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea to the going down of the sun, shall [{278}] be your border. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I swore unto their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, "Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, 'Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.'"
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, "Go view the land, and Jericho." And they went, and came into the house of a woman whose name was Rahab, and lay there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the land."
MOUNDS MARKING THE SITE OF OLD JERICHO
From the road from Jerusalem to Jericho
From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon and used by his kind permission.
Jericho, "the city of palm trees," was the only important place in the Jordan valley. In Bible times it was a beautiful and prosperous city, but now it is only a waste. Its palm trees are gone and the site is desolate. It was often conquered by the armies which passed through Palestine. After its walls fell down before Joshua's hosts, "no great man was born in Jericho; no heroic deed was ever done in her. She never stood a siege and her inhabitants were always running away."
--Smith
And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they are come to search out all the land."
And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, "Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were: and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them."
But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them along the way to Jordan to the fords: and as soon as those who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. And before they were laid down, she came up to them upon the roof; and she said to the men, "I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that the fear of you is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. Now [{282}] therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token: and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death."
And the men said to her, "Our life for yours, if ye speak not of this our business; and it shall be, when the Lord giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee."
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said to them, "Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers find you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned: and afterward may ye go your way."
And the men said unto her, "We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear, unless, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt gather into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. But if thou speak of this our business, then we will be guiltless or thine oath which thou hast made us to swear."
LOWER FORDS OF THE JORDAN
From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his kind permission.
Jordan river is a narrow, winding stream flowing down on the eastern border of the "Promised Land." When not in flood its width does not average over two hundred feet and it is rarely over five feet deep at such times; in flood it becomes in places a mile broad. It is so winding that in sixty-five miles direct course it covers a distance of two hundred miles. There are some fifty fords across the river, and in Roman times it was spanned by bridges. This picture shows the "lower fords." At this point, or near here, the Israelites crossed. "There are hundreds of other streams more large, more useful, or more beautiful; there is none which has been more spoken about by mankind"
And she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
And they went, and came to the mountain, and hid there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them. And they said unto Joshua, "Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us."
THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN.
The Israelites Leave the Jordan Behind Them as They Left the Red Sea.
And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and they marched from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, "When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall advance from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore."
And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you."
And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people." And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When ye are come to the brink of the waters of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.'"
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, "Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God."
And Joshua said, "Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and all the people of the land. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap."
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, the priests that bore the ark of the covenant being before the people; and when they [{287}] that bore the ark were come to Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest), that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan: and those that went down toward the Salt Sea were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right opposite Jericho.
And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation were passed wholly over Jordan.
SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF JERICHO.
How the Walls of the City Fell Down.
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went to him, and said to him, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?"
And he said, "Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come."
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to him, "What saith my Lord to his servant?" And the captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy."
And Joshua did so.
(Now Jericho was closely besieged by the children [{288}] of Israel: none went out, and none came in.) And the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor. And ye shall march around the city, all the men of war, going about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark: and the seventh day ye shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And it shall be, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him."
And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord."
And they said unto the people, "Pass on, and march around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord."
And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord passed on, and blew the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. And the armed men went before the priests that blew the trumpets, and the rear guard went after the ark, the priests blowing the trumpets as they went.
THE PLAIN OF JERICHO, LOOKING TOWARD THE JORDAN FROM THE HILLS TO THE WEST.
From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell and used by his kind permission.
A view of the Jordan plain, showing the desolate nature of the country.
And Joshua commanded the people, saying, "Ye shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout."
So he caused the ark of the Lord to pass around the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, the priests blowing the trumpets as they went.
And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city after the same manner seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! for the Lord hath given you the city. And the city shall be devoted, even it and all that is therein, to the Lord: only Rahab shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, be sure to keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when ye have devoted it, ye take of the devoted thing; so should ye make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy [{292}] unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord."
So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
And Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land, "Go into Rahab's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her." And the young men who were the spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had, all her kindred also they brought out; and they set them without the camp of Israel.
And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
But Rahab and her father's household, and all that she had, did Joshua save alive; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel, to this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
| THE FALL OF JERICHO |
Sound, sound for ever, Clarions of Thought! When Joshua 'gainst the high-walled city fought, He marched around it with his banners high. His troops in serried order following nigh. But not a sword was drawn, no shaft outsprang, Only the trumpets the shrill onset rang. At the first blast, smiled scornfully the king, And at the second sneered, half wonderingly: "Hop'st thou with noise my stronghold to break down?" At the third round, the ark of old renown Swept forward, still the trumpets sounding loud, And then the troops with ensigns waving proud. Stepped out upon the old walls children dark With horns to mock the notes and hoot the ark. At the fourth turn, braving the Israelites, Women appeared upon the crenelated heights-- Those battlements embrowned with age and rust-- And hurled upon the Hebrews stones and dust, And spun and sang when weary of the game. At the fifth circuit came the blind and lame, And with wild uproar clamorous and high Railed at the clarion ringing to the sky. At the sixth time, upon a tower's tall crest, So high that there the eagle built his nest, So hard that on it lightning lit in vain, Appeared in merriment the king again: "These Hebrew Jews musicians are, me-seems!" He scoffed, loud laughing, "but they live on dreams." The princes laughed, submissive to the king, Laughed all the courtiers in their glittering ring, And thence the laughter spread through all the town. At the seventh blast--the city walls fell down. |
| --Victor Hugo. |
THE ATTACK UPON AI.
The Story of a Rout and an Ambush. Defeat Turned to Victory.
(The spoil of the city of Jericho was "devoted," that is offered to the Lord, and could be the private property of no person. How the greed of one soldier got the better of him, the evil consequences, the execution of the guilty soldier for disobedience of military orders, and the subsequent victory of the Israelites are told in the following chapter.)
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing: for Achan, of the tribe of Judah, took of the devoted thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spoke unto them, saying, "Go up and spy out the land." And the men went up and spied out Ai.
And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, "Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the people to toil thither; for they are but few."
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: and they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them at the descent: and the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads.
And Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? would that we had been content and dwelt beyond Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, after Israel hath turned their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall surround us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do for thy great name?"
And the Lord said unto Joshua, "Get thee up; wherefore art thou thus fallen upon thy face? Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing; and have also stolen, and lied also, and they have even put it among their own goods. Therefore the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies, they turn their backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with you any more, except ye destroy the devoted thing from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the devoted thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye shall be brought near by your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come near by families; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come near by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come near man by man. And it [{296}] shall be, that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.'"
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: and he brought near the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zerahites: and he brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: and he brought near his household man by man; and Achan was taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, "My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make confession to him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me."
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, "Of a truth I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it."
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel; and they laid them down before the Lord. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his [{297}] sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them up unto the valley of Achor.
And Joshua said, "Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day."
And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones, to this day; and the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor (that is, troubling), unto this day.
And the Lord said unto Joshua, "Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: and thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: set thee an ambush for the city behind it."
So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valor, and sent them forth by night. And he commanded them, saying, "Behold, ye shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready: and I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them; and they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, 'They flee before us, as at the first'; so we will [{298}] flee before them: and ye shall rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be, when ye have seized upon the city, that ye shall set the city on fire; according to the word of the Lord shall ye do: see, I have commanded you."
And Joshua sent them forth: and they went to the ambushment, and took their place between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua camped that night among the people.
And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. And all the people, even the men of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, to the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between him and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. So they set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait that were on the west of the city; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the vale. And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the valley; but he knew not that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
And Joshua and all Israel pretended that they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the [{299}] wilderness. And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. And the Lord said unto Joshua, "Stretch out the javelin that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand."
And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and entered into the city, and took it; and they hasted and set the city on fire. And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again and slew the men of Ai. And the others came forth out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they pursued them, and they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were [{300}] consumed, that all Israel returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. For Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey to themselves, according to the word of the Lord which he commanded Joshua. So Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation, unto this day.
THE SUBMISSION OF GIBEON.
How a Timid People Used a Successful Trick.
And it came to pass, when all the kings which were beyond Jordan, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, heard of this, they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they were very cunning, and they pretended to be ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine skins, old and rent and bound up; and shoes old and patched upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and was become mouldy. And they went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, "We are come from a far country: now therefore make ye a covenant with us."
And the men of Israel said unto the Gibeonites, "Perhaps [{301}] ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?"
And they said to Joshua, "We are thy servants."
And Joshua said to them, "Who are ye? and from whence come ye?"
And they said unto him, "From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan. And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, 'Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: and now make ye a covenant with us.' This bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go to you; but now, behold, it is dry, and is become mouldy: and these wine skins, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they are rent: and these garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey."
And the men took of their provision, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.
And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation swore unto them. And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them. And the children of Israel [{302}] journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day. And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the host had sworn unto them by the Lord, the God of Israel. And all the host murmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the host, "We have sworn unto them by the Lord, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them." And the princes said unto them, "Let them live: so they become hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the people;" as the princes had spoken unto them.
And Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them, saying, "Wherefore have ye tricked us, saying, 'We are very far from you'; when ye dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall never fail to be of you bondmen, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God."
And they answered Joshua, and said, "Because it was certainly told thy servants how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were sore afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do to us, do."
And so did he to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the people, and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, in the place which he should choose.
A PORTION OF THE RIDGE BY WHICH THE ROAD RAN EASTWARD FROM UPPER BETH-HORON
From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell and used by his kind permission.
This road along the ridge was one of the important highways of the East. Throughout history we see hosts swarming up this avenue or swept down it in flight. Here Joshua fought his famous fight with the five kings. Here Judas Maccabaeus won a great battle with the Syrians (see Tales of the Maccabees, Vol. III.). Joshua in his battle drove the Canaanites over the ridge and then cut them to pieces in the ravine on the other side.
THE BATTLE WITH THE FIVE KINGS.
How Joshua Won a Great Fight.
Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, "Come up to me, and help me, and let us smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel."
Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, "Desert not thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country are gathered together against us."
So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people [{306}] of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua, "Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hands; there shall not a man of them stand before thee."
Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly; for he went up from Gilgal, marching all the night. And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and he slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were in the descent of Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down great hailstones from heaven upon them, and they died: they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel,--
| "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon." And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. |
Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.
And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. And it was told Joshua, saying, "The five kings are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah." And Joshua said, "Roll great stones unto the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them: but stay not ye; pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand."
And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities, that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel. Then said Joshua, "Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth those five kings to me out of the cave."
And they did so, and brought forth those five kings to him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon. And it came to pass, when they brought forth those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war which went with him, "Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings."
And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
And Joshua said unto them, "Fear not, nor be [{308}] dismayed; be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight."
And afterward Joshua smote them and put them to death, and hung them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, to this very day.
THE LAST ADDRESSES OF JOSHUA TO THE PEOPLE.
Words of Warning and Advice.
And it came to pass after many days, when the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, and Joshua was old; that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, "I am old and well stricken in years: and we have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord your God, he it is that hath fought for you.
"Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; that ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow down yourselves to them; but be loyal to the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.
AN OLD TOMB AT TIMNEH, CALLED THE TOMB OF JOSHUA
From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund and used by special permission.
This is a good example of the rock-hewn tombs of Palestine. It is tradition only which calls it the resting place of the great captain.
"For the Lord hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath stood before you unto this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand; for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he spoke unto you. Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God."
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
And Joshua said unto all the people, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.' And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
And the people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; for the Lord our God, he it is that brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and that did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in an the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed; and the Lord drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites that dwelt in the land: therefore we also will serve the Lord; for he is our God."
And Joshua said unto the people, "Ye are not able to serve the Lord; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgression nor your sins. If ye forsake the Lord, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that he hath done you good."
And the people said unto Joshua, "Nay; but we will serve the Lord."
And Joshua said unto the people, "Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him."
And they said, "We are witnesses."
THE DEATH OF JOSHUA.
The Great Captain Is Laid at Rest.
And after many years of fighting, and many victories, Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had known all the work of the Lord, that he had wrought for Israel.
The Judges
After the death of Joshua there followed a long period of unrest and fighting. The land was by no means conquered. Many times the Israelites were opposed by the neighboring people, and all but wiped out of existence. But each time a hero arose who overthrew the oppressor, and became the leader or judge, as the office was called, of the people. These leaders were not all of the highest character, but they served to hold the nation together, and to preserve it from extinction, during this period of trouble and unrest.
EHUD
The Story of the Young Man Who Killed a King.
And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees (that is, Jericho). And the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man: and the children of Israel sent a present by him unto Eglon the king of Moab. And Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he offered the present unto Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end of offering the present, he sent away the people that bore the present. But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret errand unto thee, O king."
And he said, "Keep silence." And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in his summer room. [{316}] And Ehud said, "I have a message from God to thee." And he arose out of his seat.
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body: and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his body; and it came out behind. Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the room upon him, and locked them. Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the room were locked.
And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the room; therefore they took the key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah.
And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he before them. And he said unto them, "Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand."
And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every strong man, and every man of valor; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
A CAMP IN THE DESERT
The black tents of the Arabs on the desert sands.
From a photograph belonging to Mr. S. E. Bridgman and used by his kind permission.
"The Midianites came up with their cattle and their tents, they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it." This is no doubt just the way in which the camps of the Midianites looked in the old days when they raided the farms of the Israelites.
GIDEON
The Story of a Brave Man Who Freed His People from Oppression.
(There was a time when every year one of the tribes of the desert which lies south and east of Palestine raided the farms and pastures of the Israelites, plundering and burning, and carrying off the crops and herds.)
The Midianites came up with their cattle and their tents, they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.
And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of Midian, that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel: and he said unto them, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land; and I said to you, I am the Lord your God; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not hearkened unto my voice.'"
And the angel of the Lord came, and sat under the [{320}] oak which was in Ophrah, which was on the land of Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor."
And Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works of which our fathers told us, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' but now the Lord hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian."
And the Lord looked upon him, and said, "Go in thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee?"
And he said to him, "O Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."
And the Lord said unto him, "Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man."
And he said unto him, "If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that it is thou that talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come to thee, and bring forth my present, and lay it before thee."
And he said, "I will tarry until thou come again."
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, "Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth."
DESERT WARRIORS
Riding thus on their camels the hosts of Midian came out of the desert like locusts and swarmed over the fair fields of Palestine.
And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord; and Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord God! because I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face."
And the Lord said unto him, "Peace be to thee; fear not: thou shalt not die."
Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it "Jehovah is Peace": to this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said to him, "Take thy father's bullock, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the pillar that is by it: and build an altar to the Lord thy God upon the top of this stronghold, in the proper manner, and take a bullock, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the pillar which thou shalt cut down." Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had spoken to him: and it came to pass, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city, so that he dared not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the pillar was cut down that was by it, and the bullock was offered upon [{324}] the altar that was built. And they said one to another, "Who hath done this thing?" And when they inquired and asked, they said, "Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing."
Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the pillar that was by it."
And Joash said to all that stood against him, "Will ye plead for Baal? or will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath broken down his altar."
Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, that is, "Let Baal plead."
How a Few Brave Men Saved the Nation.
Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and camped in the valley of Jezreel. But the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and the men of Abiezer were gathered together after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him: and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. And Gideon said to God, "If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it [{325}] be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast spoken."
And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
And Gideon said to God, "Let not thine anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew."
And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Then Jerubbaal (which is another name for Gideon), and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and camped beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast themselves against me, saying, 'Mine own hand hath saved me.' Now therefore, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.'"
And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say [{326}] unto thee, 'These shall go with thee,' the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, 'These shall not go with thee,' the same shall not go."
So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, "Everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise everyone that boweth down upon his knees to drink."
And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
And the Lord said unto Gideon, "By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the people go every man to his place."
So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the men of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said to him, "Arise, get thee down into the camp; for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to the camp: and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down into the camp."
THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON
From a photograph belonging to Prof. H. G. Mitchell and used by his kind permission.
The plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel is one of the famous battle fields of the world's history. Lying in the heart of Palestine, the great highways of commerce come down through the hills and cross its level fields. Through it runs the little river Kishon. On the banks of this stream the hosts of Sisera were routed (see [Tales of Brave Women, Vol. III]). Here Gideon and his three hundred men swept before them the hordes of Midian in the panic of the night attack. Here began the battle between Saul and the Philistines which ended in the death of the king, whose force had been pushed back to the height of Gilboa (see [The Great Kings] in this volume). Here King Josiah was mortally wounded in his fatal fight with the armies of Egypt (see [The Story of a Divided Kingdom, Vol. III]). Through its fertile fields in all ages of history the armies of the great kingdoms of the East have marched to battle and conquest
Then went he down with Purah his servant to the outermost part of the armed men that were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the sea shore for multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream to his fellow, and said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and smote it that it fell, and turned it upside down, that the tent lay flat."
And his fellow answered and said, "This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God hath delivered Midian, and all the host."
And when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, he worshiped; and returned into the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian."
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers. And he said to them, "Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say,--
"'For the Lord and for Gideon.'"
So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set [{330}] the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow wherewith: and they cried, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon."
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight. And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, and against all the host: and the host fled in confusion. And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian. And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against Midian, and hold the fords as far as the fords of Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and held the fords as far as the fords of 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 wine press of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond Jordan.
Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, "Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast saved us out of the hand of Midian."
And Gideon said unto them, "I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you."
So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.
And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulcher of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
ABIMELECH
The Story of the Sons of Gideon, and the Evil Which Befell Them.
ABIMELECH SEIZES THE LEADERSHIP.
(This is the first of the bloody conflicts for leadership in Hebrew history, so common after the kingdom was established. Abimelech, the son of Gideon, whose mother was a woman of Shechem and a servant, killed all the other children but Jotham, and died himself in battle after a brief period of supremacy.)
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's brethren, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, "Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, 'Which 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 spoke 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, 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 [{333}] Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
AN OLD FABLE.
(This is one of the earliest of those stories called fables in which animals or trees or other things not living are represented as speaking and acting like living persons. Such stories were usually told to teach some lesson.)
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 in 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 to the vine, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' And the vine said unto them, 'Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?' Then said all the trees to the bramble, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' And the bramble [{334}] said to the trees, 'If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: 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 to 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, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
THE FATE OF ABIMELECH.
After Several Years of Uneasy Rule Abimelech Met His Fate at the Hands of His Enemies.
And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. And Abimelech went up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said to the people that were with him, "What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done."
SHECHEM
In the time of the Judges, Shechem was known as the City of Abimelech. The people of the town first made him king and then revolted against him. Afterward he captured the city and utterly destroyed it
And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them about the tower, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went close under the door of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. Then he called hastily unto the young man his armor-bearer, and said unto him, "Draw thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, 'A woman slew him.'"
And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
SAMUEL
The Story of a Man Who Began to Do Right When He Was a Boy, and Who Never Departed from the Way in Which He Began.
(Samuel is one of the finest characters in the Old Testament. In the midst of evil times, and in contact with evil men, he never departed from the strict way of truth and righteousness and service to God. Samuel was fortunate in having an excellent mother. She dedicated her son to God, and gave him very early to the service of God. She loved him very much, and no doubt missed him very much from the home. Every year she went to see him, and brought him a little coat which she had made.
"But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child. Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.")
HOW SAMUEL LEARNED TO OBEY THE VOICE OF GOD.
And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see), and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was; that the Lord called Samuel: and he said, "Here am I."
SOURCES OF THE JORDAN. THE ANCIENT DAN
Dan was a city on the northern boundary of Palestine, and Beer-sheba was a city on the southern boundary, so there came to be a national saying "from Dan to Beer-sheba," to indicate the whole kingdom. "And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord." The picture is taken near the supposed site of the ancient city at the point where a great spring bursting forth forms the principal source of the Jordan river.
And he ran to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."
And he said, "I called not; lie down again."
And he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel."
And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."
And he answered, "I called not, my son; lie down again."
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst. me."
And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, 'Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.'"
So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel."
Then Samuel said, "Speak; for thy servant heareth." And the Lord said, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. For I have told him that I will judge [{342}] his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever."
And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son."
And he said, "Here am I."
And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke unto thee."
And Samuel told him every word, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good."
And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.
HOW THE WICKEDNESS OF THE LEADERS BROUGHT SORE DEFEAT UPON ISRAEL AND HOW ELI DIED WHEN HE HEARD THE NEWS.
Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and camped beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines camped in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
THE RUINS OF SHILOH (SEILUN), FROM THE NORTHEAST
Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
The mound is covered with foundations, heaps of stones, and walls.
"And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head." Shiloh was one of the principal sanctuaries of Israel throughout the time of the Judges. Here the ark was kept, and here Eli was living when the man of Benjamin came out of the fatal fight to tell Eli that his sons were slain and the Ark of God was taken by the Philistines.
And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies."
So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which sitteth upon the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?"
And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God is come into the camp." And they said, "Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight."
And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very [{346}] great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What meaneth the noise of this tumult?"
And the man hasted, and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see.
And the man said unto Eli, "I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army."
And he said, "How went the matter, my son?"
And he that brought the tidings answered and said, "Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken."
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
The Great Kings
After the judges came the kings. There were many kings in Israel's history, but the first three were really the greatest. Saul was the founder of the kingdom, a mighty king in spite of his faults. David made the nation great because he was great himself. Solomon by his wisdom and skill raised Israel to such wealth and splendor as it never had before or after.
SAUL
The Story of the Farmer Who Became King.
(Samuel was the last and the best of the Judges of Israel. He conquered the Philistines, and for many years the land had peace. He was a "circuit judge," going from district to district. As he grew old he attempted to put his sons in his place, but they were not like their father. They took bribes and did that which was evil. Then the people demanded a king. How Samuel at first resisted, but at last yielded and anointed Saul as king, is told in the following story.)
THE PEOPLE DEMAND A KING TO RULE OVER THEM.
Samuel Warns Them of the Dangers of a Kingdom.
After a great victory over the Philistines, Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer (that is, the stone of help), saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."
So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an altar unto the Lord.
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after money, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah: and they said to him, "Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."
But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to judge us."
And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, "Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to thee. Now therefore hearken to their voice: howbeit thou shalt protest solemnly to them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them."
And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, "This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before [{351}] his chariots: and he will appoint them for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not answer you in that day."
But the people refused to hearken to the voice of Samuel; and they said, "Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Hearken to their voice, and make them a king."
And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go ye every man unto his city."
THE TALL SON OF KISH IS CHOSEN.
Saul Is Secretly Anointed by Samuel to Be King.
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a young man and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, "Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses."
And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, but they found them not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, "Come and let us return; lest my father stop caring for the asses, and be anxious for us."
And he said to him, "Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go."
Then said Saul to his servant, "But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?" And the servant answered Saul again, and said, "Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way."
Then said Saul to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go."
So they went unto the city where the man of God was. As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?"
And they answered them and said, "He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place: as soon as ye are come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards those eat who are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him."
And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them to go up to the high place.
Now the Lord had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying, "To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over my people Israel, and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me."
And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, "Behold the man of whom I spoke to thee! this same shall have authority over my people."
Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said. "Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is."
And Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the seer; go up before me unto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day: and in the morning I will let thee go, and will tell all that is in thine heart. And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father's house?"
And Saul answered and said, "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me after this manner?"
And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the guest chamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among those who were bidden, who were about thirty persons. And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said to thee, 'Set it by thee.'"
And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Behold that which hath been reserved! set it before thee and eat; because to the appointed time hath it been kept for thee, for I said, 'I have invited the people.'"
So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. And when they were come down from the high place into the city, he communed with Saul upon the housetop.
And they arose early: and it came to pass about the dawning of the day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, "Up, that I may send thee away."
THE ANCIENT MIZPAH, LOOKING FROM THE SOUTH.
It is situated on a high hill to the northwest of Jerusalem.
From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell. and used by his kind permission.
There were many places in Palestine called Mizpah, "watch tower," but it seems probable that the location shown in the picture was the site of Samuel's home.
And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Bid the servant pass on before us" (and he passed on), "but stand thou still that I may cause thee to hear the word of God."
Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, "Is it not that the Lord hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance?" And Saul departed from Samuel.
And when Saul reached home his uncle said to him and to his servant, "Whither went ye?" And he said, "To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel."
And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said to you." And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the asses were found." But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spoke, he told him not.
SAUL IS PUBLICLY PROCLAIMED KING.
"God Save the King!"
And Samuel called the people together to the Lord to Mizpah; and he said to the children of Israel, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you: but ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saveth you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and ye have said to him, 'Nay, but set a king over us.' Now [{358}] therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands."
So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of the Matrites was chosen: and Saul the son of Kish was chosen; but when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they asked of the Lord further, "Is the man yet come hither?"
And the Lord answered, "Behold, he hath hid himself in the camp."
And they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. And Samuel said to all the people, "See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?"
And all the people shouted, and said,--
"God save the king!"
Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and there went with him the host, whose hearts God had touched.
But certain worthless fellows said, "How shall this man save us?"
And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
SAUL IS TRIED AND IS NOT FOUND WANTING.
The First Battle of the New King.
Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee."
And Nahash the Ammonite said unto them, "On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel."
And the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel: and then, if there be none to save us, we will come out to thee."
Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And, behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, "What aileth the people that they weep?"
And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. And the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen."
And the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one man. And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said [{360}] to the messengers that came, "Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, 'To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have deliverance.'"
And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "To-morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you."
And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
And the people said to Samuel, "Who is he that said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' bring the men, that we may put them to death."
And Saul said, "There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to-day the Lord hath wrought deliverance in Israel."
SAUL THE WARRIOR.
Battles and Victories.
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years over Israel. And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mount of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul [{361}] blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." And all Israel heard that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was held in abomination by the Philistines. And the people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.
And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up and pitched in Michmash, eastward of Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in holds, and in pits. Now some of the Hebrews had gone over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, "Bring hither the burnt offering to me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass that, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, "What hast thou done?" And Saul said, "Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou earnest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I, 'Now will the Philistines come [{362}] down upon me to Gilgal, and I have not intreated the favor of the Lord': I forced myself therefore to do it, and offered the burnt offering."
And Samuel said to Saul, "Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath appointed him to be prince over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee."
And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men. And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. And bands of the Philistines came out and ravaged the country all about.
Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, "There shall be no blacksmith, lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears": but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen their axes and ploughshares and other tools.
So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan; except in the hands of Saul and Jonathan his son. And the garrison of the Philistines went out unto the pass of Michmash.
THE VALLEY OF AIJALON
"Throughout history we see hosts swarming up this avenue or swept down it in flight. Joshua drove the Canaanites down this valley. Down Aijalon the early men of Ephraim and Benjamin raided the Philistines. Up Aijalon the Philistines swarmed to the very heart of Israel's territory at Michmash, disarmed the Israelites, and forced them to come down the vale to get their tools sharpened, so that the mouth of the vale was called the 'Valley of the Smiths,' even till after the Exile. Down Aijalon Saul and Jonathan beat the Philistines from Michmash."
--George Adam Smith
David also fought in Aijalon, and in 66 A. D., a Roman army suffered a terrible defeat in the valley.
Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man who bore his armor, "Come and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on yonder side."
But he told not his father. And Saul abode in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side. The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armor, "Come and let us go over unto the garrison of the Philistines: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no reason why the Lord cannot save by many or by few."
And his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee, behold I am with thee according to thy wish." Then said Jonathan, "Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus unto us, 'Tarry until we come to you'; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them. But if they say thus, 'Come up to us'; then we will go up: for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign to us."
And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, "Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid [{366}] themselves." And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, "Come up to us, and we will show you something."
And Jonathan said to his armorbearer, "Come up after me: for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel."
And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armorbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armorbearer slew them after him. And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within an acre of land. And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went hither and thither.
Then said Saul to the people that were with him, "Number now, and see who is gone from us."
And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. And Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring hither the ark of God."
For the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel. And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw thine hand."
And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great rout. Now the Hebrews that were with the [{367}] Philistines as beforetime, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about; even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
So the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by Beth-aven. And the men of Israel were distressed that day: but Saul commanded the people, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies." So none of the people tasted food. And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground. And when the people were come unto the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man ate any; for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and ate it; and he was strengthened. Then said one of the people, "Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth food this day."
And the people were faint. Then said Jonathan, "My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how I have been strengthened, because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if the people had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for now hath there been no great slaughter among the Philistines."
And they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint. And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying, "Behold, the people sin against the Lord, in that they eat with the blood." And he said, "Ye have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone to me this day."
And Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, 'Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the Lord in eating with the blood.'"
And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. And Saul built an altar unto the Lord: the same was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
And Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and fight them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them."
And they said, "Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee." Then said the priest, "Let us draw near hither to God."
And Saul asked counsel of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel?"
But he answered him not that day. And Saul said, "Draw nigh hither, all ye chiefs of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day. For as the Lord liveth, who saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan [{369}] my son, he shall surely die." But there was not a man among all the people that answered him.
Then said he unto all Israel, "Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side."
And the people said to Saul, "Do what seemeth good to thee."
Therefore Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, "Show the right."
And Jonathan and Saul were chosen by lot: but the people escaped.
And Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was chosen.
Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what thou hast done."
And Jonathan told him, and said, "I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand; and, lo, I must die."
And Saul said, "God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan."
And the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day."
So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.
Then Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place.
Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, [{370}] and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he went he defeated them.
THE DISOBEDIENCE OF SAUL.
"To Obey Is Better than Sacrifice."
And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 'I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'"
And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the Kenites, "Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt."
So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites, and Saul smote the Amalekites and defeated them. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was useless and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. .
RUINS OF A ROMAN BRIDGE AT BETH-SHAN, OVER WHICH THE ROAD TO GADARA PASSED
Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
After the battle of Gilboa the bodies of Saul and his sons were found on the field by the Philistines and carried to the town of Beth-shan and fastened to the wall. But the men of Jabesh-Gilead heard of this indignity to the dead, and making a night march removed the bodies.
Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments."
And Samuel was wroth; and he cried to the Lord all night. And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a monument, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal." And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said to him, "Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord."
And Samuel said, "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."
Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night."
And he said unto him, "Say on."
And Samuel said, "Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed thee king over Israel; and the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.' Wherefore then didst thou not obey [{374}] the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight of the Lord?"
And Saul said unto Samuel, "Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal."
And Samuel said, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold,--
"To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to harken than the fat of rams."
"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and image worship. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king."
And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord."
And Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel."
And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent. And Samuel said to him, "The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from [{375}] thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent."
Then he said, "I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel; and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God."
So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshiped the Lord.
Then said Samuel, "Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites." And Agag came unto him cheerfully. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."
And Samuel said, "As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women."
And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
THE DOWNFALL OF THE KING.
"God is Departed from Me."
(For some time after this Saul continued to be king over Israel, but he had many troubles. These troubles made him sad [{376}] and despondent, so that often the people thought him insane. At last war broke out again with the fierce and powerful Philistines, who lived on the plains to the west of the hill-country which was the home of the Israelites. Saul was very much discouraged at the beginning of this war. The story of what he did, and how he died at last like a hero on the battle-field, is as follows.)
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and camped in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not.
Then said Saul to his servants, "Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her."
And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor."
And Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, "Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee."
And the woman said unto him, "Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?"
EN-DOR
This was where the great king came at night, in despair, to consult the woman "with the familiar spirit."
And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, "As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing."
Then said the woman, "Whom shall I bring up unto thee?"
And he said, "Bring me up Samuel."
And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul."
And the king said to her, "Be not afraid: for what seest thou?"
And the woman said to Saul, "I see one like a god coming up out of the earth."
And he said unto her, "What form is he of?"
And she said, "An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe."
And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. And Samuel said to Saul, "Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?"
And Saul answered, "I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known to me what I shall do."
And Samuel said, "Wherefore dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine [{380}] adversary? And the Lord hath done unto thee as he spoke by me: and the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the Lord will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord shall deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines."
Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no food all the day, nor all the night.
THE FATAL FIELD OF GILBOA.
The Tide of Battle Rolls Over King Saul and His Sons.
Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul, and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
Then said Saul to his armorbearer, "Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest the Philistines come and thrust me through, and maltreat me."
But his armorbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell upon it.
And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armorbearer, and all his men, that same day together. And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were beyond Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people. And they put his armor in the house of the god Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.