Hebrew Bible: Judges 1-5

PREVIOUSLY: The Israelite horde conquered a big chunk of the Promised Land.

1) The men of Judah and Simeon conquer more land, including Jerusalem and Gaza. They don't manage to conquer and destroy everything: the Canaanites survive and are kept as Israel's slaves.

(Hey, remember back in Genesis when drunken Noah curses his grandson Canaan, saying that his descendants should serve his brothers' descendants?)

2) The format of the book is explained:
Israel stops worshipping God, and starts worshipping foreign gods.
God gets angry and lets them get conquered. Different neighbouring kingdoms take turns conquering Israel.
God chooses heroes, the Judges, to lead Israel back to worshipping God.
After the judge dies, Israel returns to its evil ways and worships foreign gods.
All of this angers God, so he refuses to drive out all the nations from the Promised Land; he keeps them there to test Israel's obedience.

3) The First Judge: Othniel goes to war and defeats the king of Mesopotamia.

Moab conquers Israel.

The Second Judge: Ehud, a left-handed man, attaches a sword to his right thigh and hides it under his clothes. He pays a visit to Eglon, king of Moab. 'Now Eglon was a very fat man.'

“I have a secret message for you, O king.” says Ehud. The king dismisses his attendants.

“I have a message from God for you.” And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.'

Ehud flees to the hills, where the anti-Moab rebels are waiting. He sounds the trumpet of war, and Israel marches on the Moabites, killing 10,000 of them.

The Third Judge: Shamgar kills 600 Philistines with an oxgoad [a farming implement].

4) Canaan conquers Israel.

The Fourth Judge: Deborah, a prophetess, tells Barak to gather Israel's army at Tabor. She has a plan to ensure Israel's victory.

Sisera, general of Canaan's army, hears about Israel's army at Tabor. He readies for war. Israel attacks and destroys Sisera's army.

But Sisera escapes, and stays with Jael, his friend's wife.

“Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” she says. He comes in and rests; she covers him with a rug.

He asks for a drink; she gives him some milk. He wants to rest; he asks her not to tell anyone that he is here.

'But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.'

Barak comes along, and Jael shows him Sisera's body.
Israel conquers Canaan.

5) The Israelites sing a song to celebrate victory, which includes the verse:

'Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
He asked for water and she gave him milk;
she brought him curds in a noble's bowl.
She sent her hand to the tent peg
and her right hand to the workmen's mallet;
she struck Sisera;
she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
Between her feet
he sank, he fell, he lay still;
between her feet
he sank, he fell;
where he sank,
there he fell—dead.'