There was a time when Israel didn’t have kings to rule over them. But they had leaders to help them. This is a story about some things that happened during that time. There wasn’t enough food in the land of Judah. So a man went to live for a while in the country of Moab. He was from Bethlehem in Judah. His wife and two sons went with him.

当士师秉政的时候，国中遭遇饥荒。在犹大的伯利恒，有一个人带着妻子和两个儿子往摩押地去寄居。

士师统治的时候，国中有饥荒。在犹大的伯利恒，有一个人带着妻子和两个儿子往摩押地去寄居。

士师统治的时候，国中有饥荒。在犹大的伯利恒，有一个人带着妻子和两个儿子往摩押地去寄居。

在士师执政的时代，犹大发生了饥荒。有一个人带着妻子和两个儿子从犹大的伯利恒迁到摩押境内寄居。

在士师统治期间，国内发生了饥荒。有一个人带着妻子和两个儿子，从犹大的伯利恒前往摩押地去，寄居在那里。

在士师们治理的日子里，犹大地有了饥荒。犹大的伯利恒有一个人，带着他的妻子和两个儿子，去摩押地寄居。

當士師秉政的時候，國中遭遇饑荒。在猶大的伯利恆，有一個人帶着妻子和兩個兒子往摩押地去寄居。

士師統治的時候，國中有饑荒。在猶大的伯利恆，有一個人帶着妻子和兩個兒子往摩押地去寄居。

士師統治的時候，國中有饑荒。在猶大的伯利恆，有一個人帶着妻子和兩個兒子往摩押地去寄居。

在士師執政的時代，猶大發生了饑荒。有一個人帶著妻子和兩個兒子從猶大的伯利恆遷到摩押境內寄居。

在士師統治期間，國內發生了饑荒。有一個人帶著妻子和兩個兒子，從猶大的伯利恆前往摩押地去，寄居在那裡。

當士師執政的日子、猶大地鬧饑荒；有一個人從猶大、伯利恆往摩押鄉間去寄居；他和他妻子跟兩個兒子一同去。

在士師們治理的日子裡，猶大地有了饑荒。猶大的伯利恆有一個人，帶著他的妻子和兩個兒子，去摩押地寄居。

當士師主治時、斯土薦饑、有猶大伯利恆人、與妻及二子、往旅於摩押地、

當士師治以色列族時、歲饑、猶大之伯利恆人、攜妻及二子、往摩押地居焉。

當士師秉政時、國值歲饑、有猶大之伯利恆人、攜妻及二子、往摩押地寄居、

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him.

During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while.

Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to reside in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth- lehem- judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to live in the land of Moab for a while.

Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons.

In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

At that time there was not enough food in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while.

There was very little food in the land. The same thing had been true earlier, in Abraham’s time. Isaac went to Abimelek in Gerar. Abimelek was the king of the Philistines.

“ Son of man, suppose the people in a certain country sin against me. And they are not faithful to me. So I reach out my powerful hand against them. I cut off their food supply. I make them very hungry. I kill them and their animals.

He made the people in the land go hungry. He destroyed all their food supplies.

Elisha had brought a woman’s son back to life. He had said to her,“ Go away with your family. Stay for a while anywhere you can. The Lord has decided that there won’t be enough food in the land. That will be true for seven years.”The woman did just as the man of God told her to. She and her family went away. They stayed in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

There still wasn’t enough food anywhere in the land.

He left that town to look for some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house. It was in the hill country of Ephraim.

For three years in a row there wasn’t enough food in the land. That was while David was king. So David asked the Lord why he wasn’t blessing his people. The Lord said,“ It is because Saul and his family committed murder. He put the people of Gibeon to death.”

So Elijah went to speak to Ahab. There wasn’t enough food in Samaria. The people there were very hungry.

The sky above you will be like bronze. The ground beneath you will be like iron.The Lord will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder. It will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.

Then the Lord gave them leaders. The leaders saved them from the power of those robbers.But the people wouldn’t listen to their leaders. They weren’t faithful to the Lord. They served other gods and worshiped them. They didn’t obey the Lord’ s commands as their people before them had done. They quickly turned away from the path their people had taken.When the Lord gave them a leader, he was with that leader. The Lord saved the people from the power of their enemies. He did it as long as the leader lived. The Lord felt very sorry for the people. They groaned because of what their enemies did to them. Their enemies treated them badly.

Our food has been taken away right in front of our eyes. There isn’t any joy or gladness in the house of our God.The seeds have dried up in the ground. The grain is also gone. The storerooms have been destroyed. The barns are broken down.Listen to the cattle groan! The herds wander around. They don’t have any grass to eat. The flocks of sheep are also suffering.Lord, I call out to you. Fire has burned up the desert grasslands. Flames have destroyed all the trees in the fields.Even the wild animals cry out to you for help. The streams of water have dried up. Fire has burned up the desert grasslands.

Our fields are wiped out. The ground is dried up. The grain is destroyed. The fresh wine is gone. And there isn’t any more olive oil.Farmers, be sad. Cry, you who grow vines. Mourn because the wheat and barley are gone. The crops in the fields are destroyed.

You will plant many seeds in your field. But you will gather very little food. Locusts will eat it up.

“ I made sure your stomachs were empty in every city. You did not have enough bread in any of your towns. In spite of that, you still have not returned to me,” announces the Lord.

After Jephthah, Ibzan from Bethlehem led Israel.

Elijah was from Tishbe in the land of Gilead. He said to Ahab,“ I serve the Lord. He is the God of Israel. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that there won’t be any dew or rain on the whole land. There won’t be any during the next few years. It won’t come until I say so.”Then a message came to Elijah from the Lord. He said,“ Leave this place. Go east and hide in the Kerith Valley. It is east of the Jordan River.You will drink water from the brook. I have directed some ravens to supply you with food there.”So Elijah did what the Lord had told him to do. He went to the Kerith Valley. It was east of the Jordan River. He stayed there.The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning. They also brought him bread and meat in the evening. He drank water from the brook.Some time later the brook dried up. It hadn’t rained in the land for quite a while.A message came to Elijah from the Lord. He said,“ Go right away to Zarephath in the region of Sidon. Stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”So Elijah went to Zarephath. He came to the town gate. A widow was there gathering sticks. He called out to her. He asked,“ Would you bring me a little water in a jar? I need a drink.”She went to get the water. Then he called out to her,“ Please bring me a piece of bread too.”“ I don’t have any bread,” she replied.“ And that’s just as sure as the Lord your God is alive. All I have is a small amount of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I’m gathering a few sticks to take home. I’ll make one last meal for myself and my son. We’ll eat it. After that, we’ll die.”

In those days Israel didn’t have a king. There was a Levite who lived deep in the hill country of Ephraim. He got a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.But she wasn’t faithful to him. She left him. She went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem in Judah. She stayed there for four months.

The Lord and King says,“ It will get much worse. I will punish Jerusalem in four horrible ways. There will be war, hunger, wild animals and plague. They will destroy the people and their animals.

He turned land that produced crops into a salty land where nothing could grow. He did it because the people who lived there were evil.

I will break down your stubborn pride. I will make the sky above you like iron, and it will not rain. I will make the ground under you like bronze, and you will not be able to farm it.

A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. He told Jeremiah there wouldn’t be any rain in the land. The Lord said,