JOTHAM'S PARABLE TO THE SHE CHEMITE S.

JUDGES IX.-1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, 2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal (which are threescore and ten persons) reign over you, or that òne reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flèsh. 3 And his mother's brethren spake 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. 4 And they gave him threescore and ten peices of silver out of the house of Baal-berith; and wherein Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him. 5 And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren, the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding, yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. 6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech kìng, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gèrizim, and lifted up his voice and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. 8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. 9 But the olive-tree said unto them, should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and mán, and go to be promoted over the trées ? 10 And the trees said unto the fìg-tree, Come thou and reign over us. 11 But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? 12 Then said the trees un

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to the vine, Come thou and reign over us. 13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trées ? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. 15 And the bramble said unto 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. 19 Now therefore if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands: 17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian : 18 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 he made Abimelech, the son of his maid servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother: 19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abìmelech, and let him also rejoice in you: (0) 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shèchem, and the house of Mìllo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abìmelech. 21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

SAMSON'S FIRST EXPLOIT.

JUDGES XIV. And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore get her for me to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. 5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath and behold a young lìon roared against him. 6 And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would

have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand; but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. 7 And he went down and talked with the woman: and she pleased Samson well.

8 And after a time he returned to tàke her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion and behold, there was a swarm of bèes and honey in the carcase of the lion. 9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave thèm, and they did eat but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

10 So his father went down unto the women: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. 11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a rìddle unto you; if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments: 13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hèar it. 14 And he said unto

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them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle. 15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the rìddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fìre: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not só? 16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it mè. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? 17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him; and she told the riddle to the children of her people. 18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a liòn? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my rìddle.

19 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spòil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle and his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. 20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

SAMSON'S SECOND EXPLOIT.

JUDGES XV.-9. Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. 10 And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson we are come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. 11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me so have I done unto them. 12 And they said unto him, We are come down to bìnd thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. 13 And they spake unto him saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new còrds, and brought him up from the rock.

14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. 15 And he found a new jaw-bone of an àss, and put forth his hand and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. 16 And Samson said, With the jaw bone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand mèn.

JUDGES XVI.-4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sòrek, whose name was Delilah. 5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entìce him, and see where his great

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strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him and we will give thee, every one of us, eleven hundred pieces of silver. 6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

SAMSON'S LAST EXPLOIT AND DEATH.

JUDGES XVI.-16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death, 17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's wòmb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. 18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this oncè, for he hath showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines, came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. 19 And she made him sleep upon her knees and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Sámson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said will go out, as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the. Lord was departed from him.

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21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. Howbeit, the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their gòd, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. 24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. 25 And it came