Outsiders who live among you will become your leaders. They will rise higher and higher. But you will sink lower and lower.

在你中间寄居的，必渐渐上升，比你高而又高；你必渐渐下降，低而又低。

在你中间寄居的必上升高过你，高而又高；你必下降，低而又低。

在你中间寄居的必上升高过你，高而又高；你必下降，低而又低。

“你们中间的外族人要日益兴旺，你们却要日渐衰微。

住在你中间的寄居者必渐渐高升，比你高而又高；你必渐渐下降，低而又低。

在你中間寄居的，必漸漸上升，比你高而又高；你必漸漸下降，低而又低。

在你中間寄居的必上升高過你，高而又高；你必下降，低而又低。

在你中間寄居的必上升高過你，高而又高；你必下降，低而又低。

「你們中間的外族人要日益興旺，你們卻要日漸衰微。

住在你中間的寄居者必漸漸高升，比你高而又高；你必漸漸下降，低而又低。

在你中間的寄居者必漸漸上升、比你高了又高，你卻要漸漸下降，低了又低。

爾中賓旅、必愈升愈高、爾愈降愈卑、

爾中之賓旅、必舉於至高、爾降於至卑。

寄居爾中之外邦客旅、必日升為高、爾必日降為卑、

The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower.

The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.

“ The foreigners living among you will become stronger and stronger, while you become weaker and weaker.

The resident alien among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower.

The stranger who is among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower.

“ The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.

The sojourner that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower.

The foreign resident among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower.

The stranger that[ is] within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

The foreigners who reside among you will become higher and higher over you and you will become lower and lower.

The foreigner who is among you will mount up above you higher and higher, and you will come down lower and lower.

The Lord your God will make you leaders, not followers. Pay attention to his commands that I’m giving you today. Be careful to obey them. Then you will always be on top. You will never be on the bottom.

I have said something else. I said,‘ I will not drive out those people to make room for you. They and their gods will become traps for you.’ ”

Then 3,000 men from Judah went to get Samson. They went down to the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson,“ Don’t you realize the Philistines are ruling over us? What have you done to us?” Samson answered,“ I only did to them what they did to me.”The men of Judah said to him,“ We’ve come to tie you up. We’re going to hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said,“ Promise me you won’t kill me yourselves.”

Nebuchadnezzar took all the people of Jerusalem to the land of Babylon as prisoners. That included all the officers and fighting men. It also included all the skilled workers. The total number of prisoners was 10,000. Only the poorest people were left in the land.Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as his prisoner. He also took the king’s mother from Jerusalem to Babylon. And he took Jehoiachin’s wives, his officials and the most important people of the land.The king also forced the whole army of 7,000 soldiers to go away to the land of Babylon. Those men were strong and able to go to war. And the king forced 1,000 skilled workers to go to Babylon.

Pilate said,“ Take him yourselves. Judge him by your own law.”“ But we don’t have the right to put anyone to death,” they complained.

So the Lord became very angry with them. He handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites.That year they broke Israel’s power completely. They treated the Israelites badly for 18 years. The people who did this lived east of the Jordan River. They lived in Gilead. That was the land of the Amorites.The Ammonites also went across the Jordan. They crossed over to fight against the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim. Israel was suffering terribly.Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said,“ We have sinned against you. We have deserted our God. We have served gods that are named Baal.”

So the Lord turned his back on all the people of Israel. He made them suffer. He handed them over to people who stole everything they had. And finally he threw them out of his land.

So the Lord handed them over to the power of Jabin. He was a king in Canaan. He ruled in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera. He lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.Jabin used 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He treated the Israelites very badly for 20 years. So they cried out to the Lord for help.

So the Lord removed them from his land. That’s what he had warned them he would do. He had given that warning through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken away from their country. They were forced to go to Assyria. And that’s where they still are.

But they shouted,“ Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”“ Should I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.“ We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They served gods that were named Baal.They deserted the Lord, the God of their people. He had brought them out of Egypt. But now the Israelites served other gods and worshiped them. They served the gods of the nations that were around them. They made the Lord angrybecause they deserted him. They served Baal. They also served female gods that were named Ashtoreth.The Lord became angry with the Israelites. So he handed them over to robbers. The robbers stole everything from them. The Lord handed the Israelites over to their enemies all around them. Israel wasn’t able to fight against them anymore and win.When the Israelites went out to fight, the Lord’ s power was against them. He let their enemies win the battle over them. The Lord had warned them that it would happen. And now they were suffering terribly.

Some Philistine soldiers were stationed at Geba. Jonathan attacked them. The other Philistines heard about it. Saul announced,“ Let the Hebrew people hear about what has happened!” He had trumpets blown all through the land.So all the Israelites heard the news. They were told,“ Saul has attacked the Philistine army camp at Geba. Now the Philistines can’t stand the Israelites.” The Israelites were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.The Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel. They had 3,000 chariots and 6,000 chariot drivers. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash. It was east of Beth Aven.The Israelites saw that their army was in deep trouble. So they hid in caves. They hid among bushes and rocks. They also hid in pits and empty wells.Some of them even went across the Jordan River. They went to the lands of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal. All the troops with him were shaking with fear.

Samson’s parents didn’t know that the Lord wanted things to happen this way. He was working out his plans against the Philistines. That’s because the Philistines were ruling over Israel at that time.

There weren’t any blacksmiths in the whole land of Israel. That’s because the Philistines had said,“ The Hebrews might hire them to make swords or spears!”So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines. They had to go to them to get their plows, hoes, axes and sickles sharpened.It cost a fourth of an ounce of silver to sharpen a plow or a hoe. It cost an eighth of an ounce to sharpen a pitchfork or an axe. That’s also what it cost to put new tips on the large sticks used to drive oxen.So the Israelite soldiers went out to battle without swords or spears in their hands. That was true for all of Saul’s and Jonathan’s soldiers. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had those weapons.A group of Philistine soldiers had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.