Random Verse from Judges

Judges covers the rough centuries between Joshua's death and Israel's first king. It is one of the most honest and unsettling books in the Bible.

The book is traditionally attributed to the prophet Samuel. It tells the story of a repeating cycle: the people drift from God, trouble follows, they cry out, and God raises up a deliverer called a judge.

Those judges include some of the most famous figures in Scripture. Deborah, Gideon, and Samson all lead here, along with lesser-known deliverers like Ehud and Jephthah.

The themes are human weakness and God's patience. The book's closing line sums up the era, with everyone simply doing whatever seemed right to them.

Judges does not clean up its heroes. Gideon doubts, Samson is reckless, and the nation keeps repeating its mistakes. That honesty is exactly why many readers love it.

A random verse from Judges is a good fit if you want Scripture that meets people in their mess. God works through flawed, hesitant, unlikely people on nearly every page.

The angel's greeting to Gideon in chapter 6 is a favorite for anyone who feels unqualified. Gideon is addressed as a warrior while he is hiding in a winepress.

Use the tool above to draw a random verse from the book's 21 chapters.

Some verses will be dark, because Judges tells the truth about a dark time. Read them as a warning, and read the deliverance stories as the point: God does not give up on his people.