Chapter twenty eight
PPhil 28:1And when the days of Kenaz drew near for him to die, he sent and summoned all of them and Jabis and Phinehas the two prophets and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and he said to them, Behold now the Lord has shown to
PPhil 28:2me all his wonders that he is ready to do for his people in the last days. And now I will establish my covenant with you today so that you do not abandon the Lord your God after my departure. For you have seen all the wonders that came upon those who sinned and what they declared in confessing their sins voluntarily, or how the Lord our God destroyed them because they transgressed against his covenant. Now therefore spare those of your house hold and your children, and stay in the paths of the Lord your God lest the Lord destroy his own inheritance.
PPhil 28::3And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said, If Kenaz the leader and the prophets and the elders command it,I will speak the word that I heard from my father when he was dying, and I will not be silent about the command that he commanded me while his soul was being taken away. And Kenaz the leader and the prophets said, Speak, Phinehas. Should anyone speak before the priest who guards the commandments of the Lord our God, especially since truth goes forth
PPhil 28:4from his mouth and a shining light from his heart? And then Phinehas said, While my father was dying, he commanded me, saying, These words you will say to the sons of Israel, When you were gathered together in the assembly, the Lord appeared to me three days ago in a dream by night and said to me, Behold you have seen and also your father before you how much I have toiled among my people. But after your death this people will rise up and corrupt its ways and turn from my commands, and I will be very angry with them. But I will recall that time that was before the creation of the world, the time when man did not exist and there was no wickedness in it, when I said that the world would be created and those who would come into it would praise me. And I would plant a great vineyard, and from it I would choose a plant; and I would care for it and call it by my name, and it would be mine forever. When I did all the things that I said, nevertheless my plant that was called by my name did not recognize me as its plant, but it destroyed its own fruit and did not yield up its fruit to me. And
PPhil 28:5this is what my father commanded me to say to this people. And Kenaz and the elders and all the people lifted up their voices and wept with great lamentation until evening and said. Will the Shepherd destroy his flock for any reason except that it has sinned against him? And now he is the one who will spare us according to the abundance of his mercy, because he has toiled so much among us.
PPhil 28:6And when they had sat down, a holy spirit came upon Kenaz and dwelled in him and put him in ecstasy, and he began to prophesy, saying, Behold now I see what I had not hoped for, and I perceive that I did not understand. Hear now, you who dwell on the earth, just as those staying a while on it prophesied before me and saw this hour even before the earth was corrupted, so all of you who
PPhil 28:7dwell in it may know the prophecies that have been fixed in advance. Behold now I see flames that do not burn, and I hear springs raised up out of a sleep for which there is no foundation, and I perceive neither the tops of the mountains nor the roof of the firmament, but everything has no appearance and is invisible and has no place whatsoever. And although my eye does not know what it sees, my
PPhil 28:8heart will find what to say. Now from the flame that I saw not burning. I saw and behold a spark came up and, as it were, laid for itself a platform. And the floor was like what a spider spins, in the pattern of a shield. And when this foundation had been set, behold it changed itself into another foundation, as it were. Now between the upper foundation and the lower there came forth from the light of that invisible place, as it were, the images of men; and they were walking around. And behold a voice was saying, These will be a foundation for men,
PPhil 28::9and they will dwell in between them for 7,000 years. And the lower foundation was solid material, but the upper was of foam. And those who went forth from the light of the invisible place, they will be those who will have the name man. And when he will sin against me and the time will be fulfilled, the spark will be put out and the spring will stop, and so they will be transformed.
PPhil 28::10And when Kenaz had spoken these words, he was awakened, and his senses came back to him. But he did not know what he had said or what he had seen. But this alone, he said to the people; If the repose of the just after they have died is like this, we must die to the corruptible world so as not to see sins. And when he had said these words, Kenaz died and slept with his fathers. And the people mourned for him thirty days.
Chapter twenty nine
PPhil 29::1And afterward the people appointed over themselves as leader Zebul. In that time he gathered the people together and said to them, Behold now we know all the toil that Kenaz toiled for us in the days of his life. And now if he had sons, they should rule the people. And since he left only daughters, let them receive a greater inheritance among the people, because their father during his lifetime refused to give anything to them lest he be called avaricious and greedy.
PPhil 29::2And the people said, Do everything that is pleasing in your sight. Now Kenaz had three daughters, whose names were these; the firstborn Ethema, the second Feila, the third Zelfa. And Zebul gave to the firstborn all that was around the land of the Phoenicians, and to the second he gave the olive grove of Ekron, but to the third he gave the tilled lands that were around Ashdod. And he gave them husbands, that is, to the firstborn Elisefan, to the second Odihel, but to the third
PPhil 29::3Doel. Now in those days Zebul established a treasury for the Lord and said to the people, Behold if anyone wishes to consecrate gold and silver to the Lord, let him bring it to the treasury of the Lord in Shiloh; only do not let anyone who has anything belonging to idols wish to consecrate it to the treasuries of the Lord, because the Lord does not want the abominations of the things under the ban lest you disturb the assembly of the Lord. For the wrath that has passed is sufficient. And all the people, from men to women, brought whatever gold and silver their heart prompted. And everything that was brought was weighed out; twenty talents
PPhil 29::4of gold and two hundred and fifty of silver. And Zebul judged the people twenty-five years. And when he had completed his time, he sent and called together all the people and said. Behold now I am going forth to die; look to the testimonies that our predecessors have left as witnesses, and do not let your heart be like the waves of the sea. But just as a wave of the sea understands nothing except what is in the sea, so let your heart ponder nothing else except what belongs to the Law. And Zebul slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the tomb of his father.
Chapter thirty
PPhil 30::1Then the sons of Israel did not have anyone to appoint for themselves as judge; and their heart fell away, and they forgot the promise and transgressed the ways that Moses and Joshua the servants of the Lord had commanded them, and they were led astray after the daughters of the Amorites and served their gods.
PPhil 30::2And the Lord was angry at them and sent his angel and said, Behold I have chosen one people from every tribe of the earth, and I said that my glory would reside in this world with it; and I sent to them Moses my servant, who would declare my laws and statutes; and they transgressed my ways. And behold now I will arouse their enemies, and they will rule over them. And then all the people will say, Because we have transgressed the ways of God and of our fathers, on account of this these things have come upon us. And a woman will rule over
PPhil 30::3themand enlighten them for forty years. And after this the Lord aroused against them Jabin the king of Hazor, and he began to attack them. And he had Sisera as the commander of his army, who had eight thousand iron chariots, and he came to Mount Ephraim and attacked the people. And Israel feared him very
PPhil 30::4much, and the people could not resist all the days of Sisera. And when israel had been badly humiliated all the sons of Israel gathered together to the mountain of Judah and said, We say that we are more blessed than other nations, and behold now we have been humiliated more than all peoples so that we cannot dwell in our own land and our enemies have power over us. And now who has done all these things to us? Is it not our own wicked deeds, because we have forsaken the Lord of our fathers and have walked in these ways that have not profited us? And now come, let us fast for seven days, from man to woman and from the least to the suckling child. And who knows, perhaps God will be reconciled with his inheritance so as not to destroy the plant of his vineyard?
PPhil 30::5And when the people had fasted seven days and sat in sackcloth, the Lord sent to them on the seventh day Deborah, who said to them, Can the sheep to be slaughtered give answer to its slaughterer? But both the slaughterer and the slaughtered are silent even though he is sorrowful over it. And now you were like a flock before our Lord, and he led you into the height of the clouds and set the angels beneath your feet and established for you the Law and commanded you through the prophets and corrected you through the leaders and showed you not a few wonders; and on your account he commanded the luminaries, and they stood still in their assigned placed; and when your enemies came against you, he rained down hailstones on them and destroyed them. And Moses and Joshua and Kenaz
PPhil 30::6and Zebul commanded you, and you did not obey them. For while these were alive, you showed yourselves as if you were serving your God; but when these died, your heart also died. And you became like iron cast into the fire, which when made molten by the flame becomes like water, but when if comes out of the fire it reverts to its original hardness. So you also, while those who warned you turned you, you were taught the matter; but after they have died you forget
PPhil 30::7everything. And behold now the Lord will take pity on you today, not because of you but because of his covenant that he established with your fathers and the oath that he has sworn not to abandon you forever. (Know, however, that after my departure you will start sinning again until the end of your days.) On account of this the Lord will work wonders among you and hand over your enemies into your hands. For our fathers are dead, but the God who established the covenant with them is life.
Chapter thirty one
PPhil 31::1And Deborah sent and summoned Barak, and she said to him, Rise and gird your loins like a man, and go down and attack Sisera, because I see the stars moved from their course and ready for battle on your side. Also I see the lightning that cannot be moved from its course going forth to hinder the works of the chariots of those who glory in the might of Sisera, who is saying, I am going down to attack Israel with my mighty arm, and I will divide their spoils among my servants, and I will take for myself beautiful women as concubines. And on account of this the Lord said about him that the arm of a weak woman would attack him and maidens would take his spoils and even he would fall into the
PPhil 31::2hands of a woman. And when Deborah and the people and Barak went down to meet the enemies, immediately the Lord disturbed the movement of his stars. And he said to them, Hurry and go, for your enemies fall upon you; and confound their arms and crush the power of their heart, because I have come that my people may prevail. For even if my people have sinned, nevertheless I will have mercy on them. And when these words had been said, the stars went forth as had been commanded them and burned up their enemies. And the number of those gathered together in one hour and slain was 90 times 97,000 men; but they did not destroy Sisera, because so it had been commanded them.
PPhil 31::3And when Sisera, sitting on a horse, had fled to save his life, Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite adorned herself and went out to meet him; now the woman was very beautiful in appearance. And she saw him and said to him, Go inside and take some food and sleep until evening; I will send my servants with you. For I know that you will remember me and return the favor to me. And Sisera went in, and when he saw roses scattered on the bed, he said, If I am saved, I
PPhil 31::4will go to my mother, and Jael will be my wife. And after this Sisera was thirsty and said to Jael, Get me a little water, because I am faint and my soul burns with the flame that I saw in the stars. And Jael said to him, Rest a little
PPhil 31::5while, and then you will drink. And when Sisera was sleeping, Jael went out to the flock and got milk from it. And when she was milking, she said, And now be mindful, Lord, of when you assigned every tribe or race to the earth. Did you not choose Israel alone and liken it to no animal except to the ram that goes before and leads the flock? And so look and see that Sisera has made a plan and said, I will go and punish the flock of the Most Powerful One. And I will take from the milk of these animals to which you have likened your people, and I will go and give him to drink. And when he will have drunk, he will be off guard, and afterward I will kill him. But this will be the sign that you act along with me, Lord, that, when I enter while Sisera is asleep, he will rise up and ask me again and again, saying, Give me water to drink, then I know that my prayer
PPhil 31::6has been heard. And when Jael returned and came in, Sisera was awakened and said to her, Give me a drink, because I am burning up terribly and my soul is inflamed. And Jael took wine and mixed it with milk and gave it to him to
PPhil 31::7drink. And he drank it and went to sleep. Now Jael took a stake in her left hand and approached him, saying, If God will work this sign with me, I know that Sisera will fall into my hands. Behold I will throw him down on the ground from the bed on which he sleeps; and if he does not feel it, I know that he has been handed over. And Jael took Sisera and pushed him onto the ground from the bed. But he did not feel it, because he was very groggy. And Jael said, Strengthen in me today, Lord, my are on account of you and your people and those who hope in you. And Jael took the stake and put it on his temple and struck it with a hammer. And while he was dying, Sisera said to Jael, Behold pain has taken hold of me, Jael, and I die like a woman. And Jael said to him, Go, boast before your father in hell and tell him that you have fallen into the hands of a woman. And by doing this she killed him and left his body there until Barak
PPhil 31::8should return. Now Sisera's mother was named Themech, and she sent word to her ladies, saying, Come and let us go out together to meet my son, and you will see the daughters of the Hebrews whom my son will bring here for himself
PPhil 31::9as concubines. Now Barak returned from pursuing Sisera and was very disappointed because he had not found him. Jael went out to meet him and said, Come, enter in, you blessed by God, and I will hand over to you your enemy whom you pursued but did not find. And Barak entered and found Sisera dead and said, Blessed be the Lord, who sent his spirit, and said, Into the hand of a woman Sisera will be handed over. And on saying these words he cut off Sisera's head and sent it over to his mother and gave a message to her, saying, Receive your son, whom you hoped to see coming back with spoils.
Chapter thirty two
PPhil 32::1Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abino and all the people together sang a hymn to the Lord on that day, saying, Behold the Lord has shown us his glory from on high, as he did in the height of the heavenly places when he sent forth his voice to confuse the languages of men. And he chose our nation and took Abraham our father out of the fire and chose him over all his brothers and kept him from the fire and freed him from the bricks destined for building the tower. And he gave him a son at the end of his old age and took him out of a sterile womb. And all the angels were jealous of him, and the worshipping host
PPhil 32::2envied him. And since they were jealous of him, God said to him, Kill the fruit of your body for me, and offer for me as a sacrifice what has been given to you by me. And Abraham did not argue, but set out immediately. And as he was setting out, he said to his son, Behold now, my son, I am offering you as a
PPhil 32::3holocaust and am delivering you into the hands that goave you to me. But the son said to the father, Hear me, father. If a lamb of the flock is accepted as a sacrifice to the Lord with an odor of sweetness and if for the wicked deeds of men animals are appointed to be killed, but man is designed to inherit the world, how then do you now say to me, Come and inherit life without limit and time without measure? Yet have I not been born into the world to be offered as a sacrifice to him who made me? Now my blessedness will be above that of all men, because there will be nothing like this; and about me future generations will be instructed and through me the peoples will understand that the Lord has made
PPhil 32::4the soul of a man worthy to be a sacrifice. And when he had offered the son upon the altar and had bound his feet sa as to kill him, the Most Powerful hastened and sent forth his voice from on high saying, You shall not slay your son, nor shall you destroy the fruit of your body. For now I have appeared so as to reveal you to those who do not know you and have shut the mouths of those who are always speaking evil against you. Now your memory will be before me always, and your name and his will remain from one generation to another.
PPhil 32::5And he gave Isaac two sons, both also from a womb that was closed up. And their mother was then in the third year of her marriage, and it will not happen in this way to any woman, nor will any female so boast. But when her husband approached her in the third year, to him there were born two sons, Jacob and
PPhil 32::6Esau. And God loved Jacob, but he hated Esau because of his deeds. And in their father's old age isaac blessed Jacob and sent him into Mesopotamia, and there he became the father of twelve sons. And they went down to Egypt and dwelt there
PPhil 32::7And when their enemies had dealt with them wickedly, the people cried out to the Lord, and their prayer was heard, and he brought them out of there and brought them to Mount Sinai and brought forth for them the foundation of understanding that he had prepared from the creation of the world. And then when the world's foundation was moved, the heavenly hosts speeded the lightnings on their courses, and the winds brought forth noise from their chambers, and the earth was shaken from its firmament, and the mountains and cliffs trembled in their joints, and the clouds lifted up their floods against the flame of fire so that
PPhil 32::8it would not burn up the world, Then the abyss was aroused from its very springs, and all the waves of the sea gathered together. Then Paradise gave off the scent of its fruit, and the cedars of Lebanon were shaken from their roots, and the beasts of the field were moved in their swelling places in the forest; and all his creatures came together to see the Lord establishing a covenant with the sons of Israel. And everything that the Most Powerful said, this he observed, having Moses his beloved as a witness.
PPhil 32::9And when he was dying, God established for him a platform and showed him then what we now have as witnesses, saying, Let there be as a witness between me and you and my people the heaven that you are to enter and the earth on which you walk until now. For the sun and the moon and the stars are servants
PPhil 32::10to you. And when Joshua arose to rule the people, on the day when he was fighting the enemies, the evening approached while the battle was still going on. Joshua said to the sun and moon, You who have been made servants between the Most Powerful and his sons, behold now the battle is still going on, and do you abandon your duties? Therefore stand still today and give light to his sons and darkness to his enemies. And they did so.
PPhil 32::11And now in these days Sisera arose to enslave us. And we cried out to our Lord, and he commanded the stars and said, Depart from your positions and burn up my enemies so that they may know my power. And the stars came down
PPhil 32::12and attacked their camp and guarded us without any strain. So we will not cease singing praise, nor will our mouth be silent in telling his wonders, because he has remembered both his recent and ancient promises and shown his saving power to us. And so Jael is glorified among women,because
she alone has made straight the way to success by killing Sisera with her own hands.
PPhil 32::13Go, earth; go, heavens and lightnings; go, angels of the heavenly host; go and tell the fathers in their chambers of souls and say, The Most Powerful has not forgotten the least of the promises that he established with us, saying, Many wonders will I do for your sons. And now from this day on let it be known that, whatever God has said to me, he will do; these things he will do, even if
PPhil 32::14man delays in praising God. But you, Deborah, sing praises, and let the grace of the holy spirit awaken in you, and begin to praise the works of the Lord, because there will not again arise such a day on which the stars will band together and attack the enemies of Israel as was commanded them. And from this hour, if Israel falls into distress, it will call upon those witnesses along with these servants, and they will form a delegation to the Most High, and he will remember that day
PPhil 32::15and send the saving power of his covenant. And you, Deborah, begin to tell what you saw in the field, how the people were walking about and going forth in safety and the stars fought for them. Rejoice, earth, over those dwelling in you, because the knowledge of the Lord that builds a tower among you is present. Not unjustly did God take from you the rib of the first-formed, knowing that from his rib Israel would be born. Your forming will be a testimony of what the
PPhil 32::16Lord has done for his people. Wait, you hours of the day, and do not wish to hurry, in order that we may declare what our mind can bring forward, for night will be upon us. It will be like the night when God killed the firstborn of the
PPhil 32::17Egyptians on account of his own firstborn. And then I will cease my hymn to him in the renewal of creation. And the people will remember his saving power, and this will be a testimony for it, And let the sea with its abyss be a witness, because not only has God dried it up before our fathers, but also he has diverted the stars from their positions and attacked our enemies.
PPhil 32::18And when Deborah made an end to her words, she along with the people went up to Shiloh, and they offered sacrifices and holocausts, and they sang to the accompaniment of the trumpets. And when they were singing and the sacrifices had been offered, Deborah said, And this will be as a testimony of trumpets between the stars and their Lord. And Deborah came down from there and judged Israel forty years .
Chapter thirty three
PPhil 33::1And when the days of her death drew near, she sent and gathered all the people and said to them, Listen now, my people. Behold I am warning you as a woman of God and am enlightening you as one from the female race; and obey
PPhil 33:2me like your mother and heed my words as people who will also die. Behold I am going today on the way of all flesh, on which you also will come. Only direct your heart to the Lord your God during the time of your life, because after your
PPhil 33:3death you cannot repent of those things in which you live. For then death is sealed up and brought to an end, and the measure and the time and the years have returned their deposit. For even if you seek to do evil in hell after your death, you cannot, because the desire for sinning will cease and the evil impulse will lose its power, because even hell will not restore what has been received and deposited to it unless it be demanded by him who has made the deposit to it. Now therefore, my sons, obey my voice; while you have the time of life and the light
PPhil 33:4of the Law, make straight your ways. And while Deborah was saying these words, all the people raised up their voice together and wept and said, Behold now, Mother, you will die, and to whom do you commend your sons whom you are leaving? Pray therefore for us, and after your departure your soul will be
PPhil 33:5mindful ot us forever. And Deborah answered and said to the people, While a man is still alive he can pray for himself and for his sons, but after his end he cannot pray or be mindful of anyone. Therefore do not hope in your fathers. For they will not profit you at all unless you be found like them. But then you will be like the stars of the heaven, which now have been revealed among you.
PPhil 33:6And Deborah died and slept with her fathers and was buried in the city of her fathers. And the people mourned for her seventy days, and while they were mourning for her, they said these words as a lamentation;
Behold there has perished a mother from Israel,
and the holy one who exercised leadership in the house of Jacob.
She firmed up the fence about her generation,
and her generation will grieve over her.
And after her death the land had rest for seven years.
Chapter thirty four
PPhil 34:1And in that time there arose a certain Aod from the sanctuaried of Midian, and this man was a magician, and he said to Israel, Why do you pay attention to your Law? Come, I will show you something other than your Law. And the people said, What will you show us that our Law does not have? And he said to the people, Have you ever seen the sun by night? And they said, No. And he said, Whenever you wish, I will show it to you in order that you may know that our gods have power and do not deceive those who serve them. And
PPhil 34:2they said, Show it. And he went away and worked with his magic tricks and gave orders to the angels who were in charge of magicians, for he had been
PPhil 34:3sacrificing to them for a long time. Because in that time before they were condemned, magic was revealed by angels and they would have destroyed the age without measure; and because they had transgressed, it happened that the angels did not have the power; and when they were judged, then the power was not given over to others. And they do these things by means of those men, the
PPhil 34:4magicians who minister to men, until the age without measure comes. And then by the art of magic he showed to the people the sun by night. And the people were amazed and said, Behold how much the gods of the Midianites can do,
PPhil 34:5and we did not know it. And God wished to test if Israel would remain in its wicked deeds, and he let them be, and their work was successful. And the people of Israel were deceived and began to serve the gods of the Midianites. And God said, I will deliver them into the hands of the Midianites, because they have been deceived by them. And he delivered them into their hands, and the Midianites began to reduce Israel to slavery.
Chapter thirty five
PPhil 35:1Now Gideon was the son of Joash; he was the most powerful man among all his brothers. And when it was summertime, he came to beat out the sheaves he had and to escape the attacking Midianites by hiding himself in the mountain. And behold the angel of the Lord met him and said to him, From where have
PPhil 35:2you come, and where is your destination He said to him, Why do you ask me from where do I come, for distress has encompassed me? Israel has fallen into distress; they have been delivered into the hands of the Midianites. And where are the wonders that our fathers described to us, saying, The Lord has chosen Israel alone before all the peoples of the earth? And behold now he has delivered us up and forgotten the promises that he told our fathers. For we would prefer to be handed over to death once and for all than for his people to be punished thus
PPhil 35:3over a period of time, And the angel of the Lord said to him, You have not been delivered up without reason, but your own schemes have done these things to you; because, as you have abandoned the promises that you have received from the Lord, these evils have found you out; and you have not been mindful of the commandments of God that those who were before you commanded you, so that you have come into the displeasure of your God. But he will have mercy, as no one else has mercy, on the race of Israel, thought not on account of you but on
PPhil 35:4account of those who have fallen asleep. And now, come; I will send you, and you will free Israel from the hand of the Midianites; for the Lord says these words; Even if Israel is not just, nevertheless because the Midianites are sinners, though I recognize the wickedness of my people, I will forgive them and afterward I will rebuke them because they have acted wickedly. But for the present I will
PPhil 35:5take my vengeance upon the Midianites, And Gideon said, Who am I and what is the house of my father that I should go up against the Midianites for battle? And the angel said to him, Perhaps you think that as the way of man is, so the way of God is. For men look for the glory of the world and riches, but God for the straight and good and for meekness. Now therefore go and gird your loins, and the Lord will be with you. For he has chosen you to take vengeance
PPhil 35:6upon his enemies as he commanded you. And Gideon said to him, May my Lord not be angry that I should say a word. Behold Moses the first of all the prophets asked the Lord for a sign, and it was given to him. But who am I, unless perhaps the Lord has chosen me? May he give me a sign so that I may know that I am being guided. And the angel of the Lord said to him, Run and get for me water from that lake and pour it on that rock, and I will give you a
PPhil 35:7sign. And he went away and got it as he commanded him. And the angel said to him, Before you pour water on the rock, ask what you wish to be made from it, either blood or fire, or that it not appear at all. And Gideon said, Let it become half blood and half fire. And Gideon poured water on the rock. And when he had poured it out, it became half flame and half blood, and they were both mixed together, that is, the fire and the blood; and the blood did not extinguish the fire nor did the fire consume the blood. And Gideon saw these happenings and sought other signs, and they were given to him. Are they not written in the Book of Judges?
Chapter thirty six
PPhil 36:1And Gideon took three hundred Men And went out and came to the camp of Midian and heard each man speaking to his neighbor, saying, You will see confusion beyond reckoning caused by the sword of Gideon coming upon us because God has delivered into his hands the camp of the Midianites and he is about to destroy us utterly, that is, even our own gods have shown us and we did not believe them. And now let us rise up and take care for our own lives and
PPhil 36:2flee. And as soon as Gideon heard these words, he put on the spirit of the Lord and was strengthened and said to the three hundred men, Rise up, let each one of you gird on his sword, because the Midianites have been delivered into our hands. And the men went down with them. And he drew near and began to fight, and they blew the trumpets and cried out together and said, The sword of the Lord is upon us. And they killed about 120,000 men of the
PPhil 36:3Midianites, and the rest of the Midianites fled. And after these events Gideon came and gathered the people of Israel and said to them, Behold the Lord has sent me to fight your battle, and I have gone out as he commanded me. And not I make one request of you; do not turn your face away. Let each of you give me the golden bracelets that you have on your hands. And Gideon spread out a garment, and each of them threw in his bracelets. And all were weighed, and their weight was found to be twelve talents. And Gideon took them and made
PPhil 36:4idols from them and worshiped them. And God said, One course is fixed, that I should not rebuke Gideon during his lifetime, because, when he destroyed the sanctuary of Baal, then they all said, Baal will avenge himself. Now if I should chastise him because he has acted wickedly against me, you may say, Not God, but Baal has chastised him, because he sinned against him first. And so now Gideon will die at a good old age so that they may have nothing to say. But afterward, when Gideon will have died, I will chastise him once and for all, because he has offended me. And Gideon died at a good old age and was buried in his own city.
Chapter thirty seven
PPhil 37:1And he had a son by a concubine. Abimelech killed all his brothers, for he
PPhil 37:2wished to be leader of the people. Then all the trees of the field came together to the fig tree and said, Come, reign over us. And the fig tree said, Was I born for kingship or rulership over the trees Or was I planted so as to reign among you? And so as I cannot reign over you, so Abimelech will not get a long tenure in his rule. And afterward the trees came together to the vine and said. Come, reign over us. And the vine said, I was planted to give sweetness to men, Come and preserve the fruit of my vineyard. But as I cannot reign over you, so is the blood of Abimelech demanded from you. And then the trees came to the apple tree and said, Come, reign over us. And it said, It has been commanded to me to provide sweet-smelling fruit for men. So I cannot reign over
PPhil 37:3you; and Abimelech will die by stoning. And then the trees came to the bramblebush and said, Come, reign over us. And the bramblebush said, When the thorn was born, truth shone forth in the form of a thorn. And when the first-formed was condemned to death, the earth was condemned to bring forth thorns and thistles. And when the truth enlightened Moses, it enlightened him by means of a thicket of thorns. And now it will be that the truth may be heard by you from me. And if you have spoken truthfully to the bramblebush that it really should reign over you, sit in its shadow. But if hypocritically, let the fire go forth and devour and eat up the trees of the field, for the apple tree signifies the chastisers, and the fig tree signifies the people, and the vine signifies those who
PPhil 37:4were before us. And now the bramblebush will be for you in this hour like Abimelech, who killed his brothers unjustly and wishes to rule among you, If Abimelech be worthy of them whom he wishes to rule for himself, let him be like the bramblebush that was made to rebuke the foolish among the people. And the fire went forth from the bramblebush and ate up the trees that were in
PPhil 37:5the fields. After this Abimelech ruled the people one year and six months, and he died when a woman threw down up him half a millstone.
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