Article Index

 

Chapter Description
1 After the death of Joshua, Judah and Simeon fight against the remaining Canaanites.
Judah captures Jerusalem.
Othniel captures the city of Kiriath-sepher and Caleb gives his daughter, Achsah, to him.
Judah expands their territory but the Israelites do not drive out all the Canaanites from their lands.
2 Israel disobeys G-d by not driving out the Canaanites and tearing down their altars.
Joshua dies at age 110.
The generation after Joshua does evil in the sight of G-d and worships the idols of the Canaanites.
The pattern of Israel's idolatry, oppression by foreign nations, repentance, and deliverance is described.
3 Israel intermarries with the Canaanites and worships their false gods.
Israel is oppressed by Cushan, repents, and G-d raises up Othniel as their judge.
Israel sins again, is oppressed by Eglon, repents, and G-d raises up Ehud as their judge.
After Ehud, Shamgar judges Israel.
4 Israel sins again, is oppressed by Jabin and Sisera, repents, and G-d raises up Deborah as their judge.
Barak leads the Israelites in battle against Sisera.
Jael, the wife of Heber, kills Sisera.
5 Deborah and Barak sing a song to LORD about their battle with kings of Canaan.
Israel is delivered from other nations and has rest for forty years.
6 Israel sins again, is oppressed by Midian, repents, and G-d raises up Gideon as a judge.
The angel of the LORD appears to Gideon and tells him to destroy the altar of Baal.
Gideon destroys the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole beside it, and is called Jerubbaal by the townsfolk.
Gideon validates G-d's calling with fleece.
7 Gideon gathers the Israelites to fight.
G-d has Gideon reduce the army to only 300 and delivers Midian into Gideon's hand.
8 Gideon crosses the Jordan and the people of Succoth and Penuel deny Gideon food.
Gideon defeats his enemies, punishes the men of Succoth, and kills the men of Penuel.
Israel has peace for forty years and Gideon dies.
Israel again forgets their LORD.
9 Gideon's son, Abimelech, kills seventy of his brothers and becomes ruler over the city of Shechem.
Gideon's son, Jothem, warns Abimelech and Shechem about the consequence of their actions.
Shechem rebels against Abimelech who destroys the city.
Abimelech is killed when a woman drops an upper millstone on his head.
10 Tola judges Israel for 23 years then dies.
Jair judges Israel for 22 years then dies.
Israel sins against G-d again, is oppressed by the Philistines, and Israel cries to G-d for help.
11 Jephthah is the son of a harlot and his half-brothers drive him away from the family.
Ammon attacks the city of Gilead.
Gilead seeks Jephthah's help to fight the Ammonites and he defeats them.
Jephthah's makes a vow to the LORD and his daughter is dedicated (sacrificed?) to G-d.
12 Ephraim fights against Gilead.
Gilead defeats Ephraim.
Jephthah judges Israel for six years.
Ibzan judges Israel for seven years then dies.
Elon judges Israel for ten years then dies.
Abdon judges Israel for eight years then dies.
13 Israel sins against G-d again and is oppressed by the Philistines for forty years.
An angel appears to Manoah and his wife and tells them they will have a son.
Their son will be a Nazirite from birth and will deliver Israel from the Philistines.
Samson is born.
14 Samson seeks a Philistine woman as a wife and makes a wedding feast for her.
Samson shares a riddle at the feast and his wife betrays him to the men of her city.
Samson leaves his wife in the city and she is given to another man.
15 Samson returns for his wife only to find that she has been given to another man.
Samson burns the Philistine's property with foxes in his anger.
The Philistines kill his wife and her father then Samson kills them.
The men of Judah captures Samson and hands him over to the Philistines but Samson kills them with the jawbone of a donkey.
Samson judges Israel for twenty years.
16 Samson tears off the gates of Gaza and carries them to a mountain forty miles away.
Samson likes Delilah but she betrays him and he is captured by the Philistines.
Samson regains his strength and dies with many Philistines by pulling down the pillars where he is imprisoned.
17 Micah returns the silver he stole from his mother.
She has an idol made from the silver to place in Micah's shrine of idols.
A young Levite stays with Micah and serves as his priest.
18 The tribe of Dan sends out spies to find land and the spies meet Micah.
The spies and 600 warriors from Dan take Micah's idols and his Levite, conquer Laish, and build the city of Dan.
19 A Levite marries a woman from the tribe of Judah.
They travel to the Levite's home and stay in Gibeah, a town of Benjamites.
The men of the town rape the woman and she dies.
The Levite carries her body to his home, then cuts her body into twelve pieces and sends them to all the tribes of Israel.
20 Israel is incensed at situation and demands the tribe of Benjamin hand over those responsible.
The tribe of Benjamin refuses and 400,000 Israelites fight against Benjamin and defeat them.
21 Israel gathers at Mizpah and feels sorry for the circumstances of the tribe of Benjamin.
Israel gives the virgins of Jabesh-gilead and Shiloh to the remaining men of Benjamin.
Israel has no king.

 

Torah Portion

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Today is

Yom Chamishi, 18 Adar II, 5784

Thursday, March 28, 2024

 

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