A book in the Old Testament. The book of Judges deals with the Israelites from the death of Joshua to the birth of Samuel.

Chapters 1-3 are a preface to the entire book of Judges. They explain that because the Israelites did not drive out their enemies (Judg. 1: 16-35), the Israelites must suffer the consequences: loss of faith, marriages with nonbelievers, and idolatry. Chapters 3-5 relate the experiences of Deborah and Barak, who delivered Israel from the Canaanites. Chapters 6-8 are the faith-promoting experiences of Gideon, whom the Lord blessed to deliver Israel from the Midianites. In chapters 9-12, several different men serve as judges in Israel, mostly in apostasy and under oppression. Chapters 13-16 tell of the rise and fall of the last judge, Samson. The final chapters, 17-21, can be described as an appendix that reveals the depths of Israel’s sins.