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OF JOSHUA THE SON OF NUN, AND BRIEF NOTICES OF THE YEARS OF THE JUDGES AND THE KINGS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.
AFTER Moses was dead, God said to Joshua the son of Nun, 'Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and p. 66 all this people, unto the land which I have sworn to their fathers to give them, Every place upon which ye tread shall be yours1.' So Joshua the son of Nun gathered the people together, and passed over Jordan. Jordan was divided on this side and on that, and the children of Israel passed over as upon dry ground, even as their fathers passed through the sea of Sôph, when they went forth from Egypt2. And they took twelve stones from the midst of Jordan, as a memorial for those after them3. And they took Jericho, and destroyed it4; and Joshua the son of Nun slew thirty-one kings of the foreign nations, and divided the land among them, and he brake their idols and images. These are the names of the kings whom Joshua the son of Nun destroyed5. The king of Jericho, the king of Ai, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, the king of Gezer, the king of Debir, the king of Hormah, the king of Geder, the king of Arad6, the king of Libnah, the king of Adullam7, the king of Makkedah8, the king of Bethel, the king of Tappuah, the king of Hepher, the king of Aphek, the king of Lashsharon9; the king of Madon, the king of Hazor, the king of Shimron-meron10, the king of Achshaph, the king of Taanach, the king of Megiddo11, the king of Rekam (Kadesh), the king of Jokneam12, the king of Dor and Naphath-Dor, the king of Goiim13, the king of Tirzah14,
And as we do not intend to write a complete history of the kings and judges, but only to collect a few matters which may serve for the consolation of the feeble in a time of despondency, behold we pass over them with brief notices. If however any one seeks to know these (things), let him read in the Tôrah and in the Bêth-Mautebhê15, whence he will understand clearly. Moses ruled the people in the desert forty p. 67 years1. Joshua ruled the people twenty-five years2. Judah was ruler of the people forty-eight years3. Eglon king of Moab4 oppressed the people eighteen years. Ahôr (Ehûd) was ruler of the people eighty years5. Nâbîn (Jabin) oppressed Israel twenty years6. Deborah and Barak were rulers of the people forty years7. The Midianites oppressed Israel seven years8. Gideon was ruler of the people forty years9. He had seventy sons, who rode with him upon seventy ass colts10. Abimelech the son of Gideon was ruler of the people sixty years11. Tola the son of Puah was ruler of the people twenty-three years12. Jair was ruler of the people twenty-two years13. The Philistines and Ammonites oppressed the people eighteen years14. Naphthah (Jephthah) was ruler of the people six years15. He vowed a vow to the Lord and said, 'Whatsoever cometh forth to meet me from my house, I will offer up as an offering to the Lord.' And his only daughter came forth, and he offered her up as an offering to the Lord. Abîzan (Ibzan) was ruler of the people seven years16. He had thirty sons and thirty daughters; he sent out the thirty daughters and brought in thirty daughters-in-law. Elon was a ruler of the people ten years17. Acrôn (Abdon) was ruler of the people eight years18. The p. 68 Philistines oppressed Israel forty years1. Samson was ruler of the people twenty years2. He slew a thousand men with the jawbone of a dead ass. Eli was ruler of the people forty years3. From Eli, the ark was in the house of Abinadab twenty years4. Samuel was ruler of the people thirty years5. Saul was ruler of the people forty6 years.These years of the Judges (lit. rulers) amount to six hundred and fifty-five7. King David reigned forty years8. Solomon reigned forty years9. Rehoboam reigned seventeen years10. Abijah reigned three years11. Asa reigned forty-one years12. Jehoshaphat reigned twenty-five years13. Joram reigned eight years14. Ahaziah reigned one year15. Athaliah reigned six years16. Joash reigned forty years17. Amaziah reigned twenty-three years18. Uzziah reigned fifty-two years19. Jotham reigned sixteen years20. Hezekiah reigned twenty-nine years21. He prayed before God, and fifteen years were added to his life; and he held back the sun and the moon in their course. Manasseh reigned fifty-five years22. He sawed Isaiah with a wooden saw and killed him. Amon reigned two years23. Josiah reigned thirty-one years24. Jehoahaz reigned three months25. Jehoiakim reigned eleven years26. Jehoiachin reigned one hundred p. 69 days1. Zedekiah reigned seven years2. These years of the kings amount to four hundred and fifty-five years, six months, and ten days3.
8 In the Oxford MS. chap. xxxv.
1 Josh. i. 2-3.
2 Exod. xiv. 21, 22.
5 Josh. xii. 9-24.
6 Syr. Adar.
7 Syr. Arlam.
8 Syr, Makar.
9 Syr. Neshrôn.
10 Syr. Shâmrîn, Samaria.
11 Syr. Magdôl.
12 Syr. Nekem`am or Nak`âm.
13 Syr, `Umkâ.
14. The Oxford MS. omits the names of these kings.
15 In the Oxford MS. 'in the book of Kings.' The term ### properly includes Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Proverbs, Ecclesiasticus, Ecclesiastes, Ruth, the Song of Songs, and Job, See Wright's Catalogue, p. 103, col. 1, note †.
2 Josh. xxiv. 29. Josephus, Antiq., v. 1, gives twenty-nine years. Eusebius and Andronicus, twenty years; the Ausar Râzê (Brit. Mus. MS. Add. 21,580, fol. 69 a) twenty-seven years.
3 Bar Hebraeus says that the elders of the people ruled after Joshua, but no number of years is given; his list of the Judges is much fuller, but their years do not agree with those given in this chapter. In Brit. Mus. Add. 21,580, fol. 69 a, after Joshua, there follows Chushan the wicked, eight years; Othniel, forty years; the Moabites, eighteen years; and Ahôr or Ehud comes next.
4 Judg. iii. 14. The Oxford MS. has 'Og, king of the Moabites.'
8 Judg. vi. 1. The Oxford MS. gives seventy years.
10 Solomon has here confused Abdon with Gideon; see Judg. xii. 14.
11 We should probably read 'three years.' See Judg. ix. 22.
18 Judg. xii. 14. The Oxford MS. makes no mention of Abdon.
2 Judg. xv. 20. The Oxford MS. gives 'forty years.' After Samson, Brit. Mus. Add. 21,580, fol. 70 a, has 'without Judges, twelve years.'
5 Twenty years, Brit. Mus. Add. 21,580, fol. 70 a.
6 So Eusebius, but Anianus gives twenty years.
7 The numbers here given amount to 642 years.
14 2 Kings viii. 17. Jehoram is omitted by the Oxford MS.
17 2 Kings xii. 1. Joash is omitted by the Oxford MS.
18 Twenty-nine years, 2 Kings xiv. 2.
20 2 Kings xv. 33. Ahaz the son of Jotham also reigned sixteen years (2 Kings xvi. 2); the length of the reigns of the father and son being the same is no doubt the cause why the latter is omitted in all the MSS.
1 2 Kings xxiv. 8, 'three months.'
2 2 Kings xxiv. 18. The Oxford MS. makes no mention of Jehoiachin, and gives the name of Zedekiah without the length of his reign.
3 The numbers here given amount to 451 years, 6 months, and 10 days.