Listening Dan Reading

ISRAEL’S JUDGES
English for Biblical Studies
A Contextualized Workbook
for the Beginning Level
1
Lynn Stapleton
Introduction
The purpose of this workbook is to provide contextualized practice for reading English in
order to build vocabulary and grammar skills. It is not the intention to teach English, but rather to
supplement classroom instruction with contextualized passages for biblical studies.
Although the aim of this workbook is to assist students in improving their reading skills,
a listening section is included. This section is merely a recording of the reading passages. If the
student or teacher chooses to use the listening exercises, there are pre-listening exercises which
include vocabulary preparation and familiarity with the context. These exercises are designed for
the passage to be heard two times. Often students will benefit from listening a third time to check
their answers and to understand the overall flow of the passage.
If the teacher will be using the listening exercises, the students should not have access to
the entire workbook and passages before they listen to the passage. Reading the passage before
listening to it will decrease the value of the listening exercises.
The focus of this workbook is to improve the student’s reading skills. The reading section
of this book is designed to be a workbook which could be used for self-study or out-of-class
assignments, but is best used within the classroom. The students will benefit from discussion and
interaction if the book is used in a group setting.
Each unit in the reading section includes vocabulary preparation, pre-reading discussion,
and while-reading questions. Following the reading passage are vocabulary building and reading
comprehension exercises designed to help the students interact with the text and improve their
reading skills.
A grammar section is included in each unit. These sections allow the students to see how
grammar is used in natural reading contexts. The students can apply their grammar knowledge in
understanding both the main idea and the supporting details of the passage. There is a brief
explanation of each grammar point followed by exercises based on the passage and finally
practiced in a suggested class activity. This last exercise allows students to use the grammar
point in normal communication and enhances speaking skills.
The last section of each unit is entitled ‘Something to think about’. These questions can
be used as class discussion or an out-of-class writing assignment. The purpose of these questions
is to help the students develop critical thinking skills and to promote integration of the
information in the passage.
An answer key is provided at the end of the workbook. Since the vocabulary preparation
is the same exercise for both the listening and reading sections, the answers are found in one key.
Copyright © 2009 by Lynn Stapleton

Cannot be reproduced for profit
All rights reserved.
2
Table of Contents
Listening Section …………….. …………………………………... 4
Reading Section ………………………………………………....... 16
Unit 1 Othniel, the First Judge………………………………….…. 17
Unit 2 Ehud, a Clever Soldier …………………………………….. 21
Unit 3 Deborah, a Woman Judge ………………………………… 25
Unit 4 Gideon and the Angel …………………………………….. 29
Unit 5 Gideon’s Army …………………………………………… . 33
Unit 6 Jephthah’s Time as Judge ………………………………… 36
Unit 7 An Angel and Samson’s Parents ………………………….. 40
Unit 8 Samson’s Decisions ………………………………………. 44
Unit 9 Samson and Delilah ……………………………………… 48
Unit 10 Samson’s Final Victory ………………………………… 52
Unit 11 Samuel, the Last Judge ………………………………… 56
Unit 12 Overview ……………………………………………….. 60
Answer key ……………………………………………………… 64
3
Listening Section
4
Unit 1 Othniel, the First Judge
Before you listen

Understanding the context
The Israelites have just entered the Promised Land after being in the desert for 40 years.
List 3 problems the Israelites face as they begin to live in the Promised Land.
Share your ideas with a partner.
Vocabulary Preparation
The underlined words are from the next passage. Guess the meaning of the underlined word.
1. When an army fights in a battle, it either wins or is defeated.
a. loses b. fights again
2. When an army wins a battle, it captures the city and people.
a. kills b. takes
3. The Israelites worshiped God.
a. forgot b. loved and respected
4. God called special men and women to judge Israel.
a. rule, lead b. destroy
5. An army fights against its enemies.
a. people who try to help b. people who try to hurt
As you listen
Identifying proper nouns
These are the proper nouns in this passage: Caleb, Acsah, Othniel, Kiriath Sepher,
Israelites, Canaanites, God
As you listen to this passage, pay attention to these names of people and places.
As you listen to the passage a second time, write down one significant thing you learn
about each of the names in the list. Share and discuss your ideas in small groups.
Unit 2 Ehud, a Clever Soldier

Before you listen
Thinking about the title
The title of this passage is ‘Ehud, a Clever Soldier’.
Clever means intelligent, quick, skillful.
How would a soldier be clever?
5
Read the sentences below. The bold words are from the next passage. The italicized words are
definitions. Match the definitions with the bold words.
A. made war against B.long, sharp weapons C.private
D.money paid to a government E.keep covered
1. ______ If you don’t want something to be seen, you hide it.
2. ______ Before soldiers used guns, swords were often carried in battle.
3. ______ The Israelites must pay taxes to the king.
4. ______ The Israelite army attacked the enemy army.
5. ______ “Don’t tell this to anybody. It’s secret!
As you listen
Cloze test (listen to the passage at least twice)
Read along as you listen to the introduction.
Beginning with the second paragraph, fill in the gaps with the words you hear in the passage.
After Othniel died, the people of Israel were not faithful to God. They worshiped idols
instead of God. When the army of Moab attacked, God did not give Israel the victory. For
eighteen years Moab ruled Israel and made them pay a lot of taxes. Israel had a very hard time
and finally prayed to the Lord. God heard their prayers and sent Ehud to save them. Ehud was a
left-handed soldier, so he made a special sword.
The Israelites told Ehud to take the tax _________ to King Eglon of Moab. Before he
went to the____________, he took his special sword and hid it under his___________. When
Ehud met with King Eglon, he told him that he had a secret message from____________. No one
else could hear the message. So King Eglon sent his servants out of the _____________ and
waited for Ehud to tell him the secret message. As he came near the king, Ehud quickly brought
out his special sword and ____________ the king. Since King Eglon was a very ____________
man, the sword went into the king’s body and disappeared into the fat. Ehud quickly left the
room, locked the doors, and ____________ away.
When the servants found the king, he was __________ and Ehud was gone. Ehud called
the ____________ of Israel to fight against Moab. God gave them victory over Moab.
____________ no longer paid taxes to Moab, but now Moab had to pay ____________ to Israel.
Ehud was a ____________ for eighty years and Israel had peace.
6
Unit 3 Deborah, a Woman Judge
Before you listen

The title of this passage is ‘Deborah, a Woman Judge’.
Describe a woman in your country who is in a leadership position.
1. God allowed the enemy to win the battle against the Israelites.
a. permitted, let b. defeated
2. The judges held a high position in Israel and the people showed them honor.
a. value, respect b. feeling
3. Sometimes the Israelites were not sure what to do. They were confused.
a. mixed up b. certain
4. The Israelites chased the enemy back to their own country.
a. fought b. ran after
5. When the Israelites lived in the desert they lived in tents that could be taken down and
easily carried.
a. material that is stretched over poles to provide shelter
b. houses made of wood to keep out the hot sun
As you listen
Identifying the main characters
These are the names of the men and women in this story: King Jabin, Deborah, Barak,
General Sisera, Jael. As you listen to the passage, listen for these names and their relationship
to one another. Which people serve Israel?
Listen to the story a second time and describe each main character with an adjective, a
verb, and a noun. Adjective = What is the person like? Verb = What did he or she do? Noun =
Who is she/he, or what position does she/he have?
Unit 4 Gideon and the Angel
Before you listen

This passage is about Gideon talking with an angel of the Lord.
How would you feel if an angel came to you and gave you a message from God?
7
Match the word with its meaning.
1. _____ conquer a. place of worship
2. _____ cruel b. signal, symbol
3. _____ sign c. defeat, overcome
4. _____ save d. rescue
5. _____ altar e. unkind, wicked, mean
6. _____ touch f. put a hand on
As you listen
Getting the main idea
This passage is a conversation between Gideon and an angel. As you listen to the
passage, identify the main idea, why did the angel come to Gideon?
As you listen to the passage a second time, think about Gideon. List 3 feelings that
Gideon experienced during his time with the angel of the Lord.
Share your list with a partner. Discuss the feelings that you listed and explain why you
think Gideon had these feelings.
Unit 5 Gideon’s Army
Before you listen

The title of this passage is ‘Gideon and the Army’.
Gideon is about to fight a very strong and very large army. What kind of army should
Gideon prepare? What kind of army would you like to lead? What kind of soldiers would be in
your army? How big would your army be?
Discuss how generals usually prepare their army.
Cross out the word that does not belong with the group. The bold word is from the next passage.
1. scared afraid wise fearful
2. test exam school quiz
3. knees shoes hands ears
4. circle box square triangle
5. trumpet drum guitar food
6. torch fire bright water
7. freedom limits choice independence
8
As you listen
What do you already know?
As you listen to the passage, listen for the type of army Gideon led.
Listen to the passage a second time and compare Gideon’s army with the type of army
you described at the beginning of the lesson.
In small groups, discuss the differences between your army and Gideon’s army. How
would you feel if you served in an army like Gideon?
Unit 6 Jephthah’s Time as Judge
Before you listen

Thinking about the context
Jephthah had several problems when he was a judge in Israel.
What are some problems that leaders often have?
1. God wanted the people to sacrifice a lamb on the altar.
a. offer b. honor
2. Some men made a vow to God that they would obey his laws.
a. warning b. promise
3. The men of Israel were not allowed to marry foreign women.
a. from other countries b. from your country
4. Sometimes Israel was controlled by enemy countries.
a. attacked, hurt b. commanded, ruled
9
As you listen
Taking notes
You will listen to the passage two times. As you listen, fill in the missing information on
the outline.
Title: Jephthah
I. Israel prepares for battle
A. God’s promise: ____________________________________
B. Jephthah’s response: _______________________________
II. Jephthah returns home
A. Met by _____________________
B. Vow meant ___________________
III. Jephthah’s problems
A. _____________________
B. _____________________
IV. Testing the Ephraimites
A. The test: ____________________________
B. The result: __________________________
Unit 7 An Angel and Samson’s Parents
Before you listen

What do you already know?
We have already listened to the story of the angel speaking to Gideon. What were
Gideon’s feelings about talking with an angel? How would you feel if you saw an angel?
Match the following words from the passage with the word that is opposite in meaning.
1. _____ birth a. curse
2. _____ adult b. death
3. _____ bless c. reject
4. _____ choose d. child
10
1. An angel appeared to Gideon.
a. talked b. was able to be seen
2. The judges were men and women set apart by God to serve Israel.
a. priests b. chosen, selected
3. Parents were expected to raise their children to obey the Lord.
a. bring up, nurture b. trust
4. Israel needed to prepare itself for battle.
a. make ready b. confuse
As you listen
Prediction
Why do angels talk with men and women?
Why does God send angels to talk with men and women?
As you listen to the story, think about why God used an angel to speak to Manoah and
his wife.
As you listen to the story a second time, think about this question: What are some of the
things that made Samson special?
Unit 8 Samson’s Decisions
Before you listen

You make decisions every day.
Discuss how you make decisions. How can you keep from making bad decisions?
1. lion monkey horse farm
2. wedding death marriage husband and wife
3. honey sweet bee meat
4. burn ice fire hot
5. angry mad happy upset
6. complain praise protest object
11
As you listen
Cloze test (listen to the passage at least twice)
Read along as you listen to the introduction.
Beginning with the second paragraph, fill in the gaps with the words you hear in the passage.
When Samson was a young man, he decided to marry a Philistine girl. His parents were
upset with him because Israelite men were not allowed to marry foreign women. They tried to
change his decision, but Samson wanted a Philistine bride.
While Samson and his parents were __________ to the city of Timnah to plan the
marriage, a lion ran at Samson. The Spirit of the _________ filled Samson with strength, and he
killed the lion with his hands. Later, as Samson was returning to Timnah for the__________, he
went to the body of the __________ lion. He reached inside the dead body and took out honey.
After __________some, he shared the rest of the honey with his__________.
At the wedding celebration, all of the men were __________a lot of wine. There was
trouble between Samson and the __________ of his bride. Samson got mad, went to another city,
killed thirty__________, and brought their clothes to the bride’s friends. He then returned
__________ with his parents. Later, when he __________ his bride, he discovered that her
__________had given her in marriage to another man. Samson became very __________ and
burned the fields of the town. While the men were __________ their fields burn, they decided to
burn the house of Samson’s bride and her____________. This made Samson even angrier, and
so he killed the__________.
Later, when the Philistine army was looking for__________, he hid in a cave which is a
large hole in the side of a mountain. The Israelites came to him and __________ him to go to the
Philistines. The Israelites were __________ of the army of the Philistines. Samson agreed to let
the Israelites tie him with ropes and ___________ him to the Philistines. While the Israelites
were leading him to the Philistines, the __________ of the Lord came to Samson. He
__________the ropes, took an animal bone, and killed one thousand Philistines. After this,
__________ felt like he was dying of thirst so he complained to God. __________ began to flow
from a small place nearby, and Samson __________ and rested.
12
Unit 9 Samson and Delilah
Before you listen
Prediction
The story of Samson and Delilah is a very common story.
With a partner share one thing you think will be covered in this passage.
1. Samson discovered that he had amazing strength.
a. found out b. lost
2. Samson was very upset when he lost his Philistine bride.
a. angry b. confused
3. The soldier tied his horse to a tree.
a. fastened, bound b. walked slowly
4. The soldier tied his horse to a tree with a rope.
a. a bush b. a line or cord
5. The enemy captured some of the Israelite women.
a. killed b. took
6. When you can’t lift something, you might think that you are weak.
a. strong b. powerless
As you listen
Getting the main idea
As you listen to the passage, think about the relationship of Samson and Delilah. After
you have heard the story, write a sentence that describes their relationship.
On the second reading, the teacher will pause after reading each paragraph. Write down
the main idea of each paragraph.
The teacher will read the whole passage through a third time. Review your thoughts on
the main idea of each paragraph.
Summarize the main idea of the whole story in one sentence.
Share your thoughts with a group of 3-4 students.
Unit 10
10
This unit cannot be done as a listening exercise.
13
Unit 11 Samuel, the Last Judge
Before you listen

Prediction
The title of this passage is ‘Samuel, the Last Judge’.
Why might Samuel be the ‘last judge’?
What changes may have taken place in Israel?
What do you think will be discussed in this passage?
Match the word from the passage with the correct definition.
1. _____ dedicate a. a place where a king might live
2. _____ dream b. something you might do to show honor or devotion
3. _____ commands c. something you might do while you are asleep
4. _____ palace d. words that a general might give to his army
As you listen
There are several contrasts in this passage.
The first time you hear the story, identify the main people and their characteristics.
As you listen the second time, answer the questions with the following names.
Samuel Eli Hannah Eli’s sons the people of Israel
1. Who asked God for a son? _________________
2. Who taught Samuel to listen to the Lord? ______________
3. Who did not respect the Lord’s commands? _______________
4. Who wanted a king? _______________
5. Who taught the people to obey the Lord? ________________
Unit 12 Overview
Before you listen

Overview means ‘summary’, ‘outline’, or ‘general idea’.
The title of this passage is ‘Overview’, so this passage will summarize the book of Judges
and the passages you have read.
Write 3 things that you have learned about the judges of Israel.
14
1. The people of Israel disobeyed God’s laws. They broke their covenant with God.
a. agreement b. altar
2. Enemies often conquered Israel and made life hard for the Israelites.
a. joined, united b. defeated, took over
3. Israel became a monarchy after the time of judges and Saul was the first king.
a. ruled by the priests b. ruled by a king
4. Israel was oppressed by other nations and had to pay taxes to them.
a. made an agreement b. taken over
5. When Israel worshiped idols, they rejected God.
a. loved b. refused, denied
6. There is a pattern of events in the book of Judges.
a. repeated design, series b. problem
7. The people of Israel came from twelve different tribes.
a. large groups of families b. nations
8. When the land had peace, the Israelites enjoy a comfortable life.
a. easy b. tired
As you listen
As you listen to the passage the first time, listen for the main idea – what is the overview
or summary of the time of the judges?
As you listen the second time, compare the list of things you wrote at the beginning of
this section with the author’s summary of the book of Judges. Are they the same or different?
Discuss what some of the differences are.
15
Reading Section
16
Unit 1 Othniel, the First Judge
What do I already know?
Where did God lead the Israelites when he brought them out of Egypt?
Why did they leave Egypt?
What should I be looking for?

Who is Othniel? What did he do?
What happened when the people of Israel disobeyed God?
1. When an army fights in a battle, it either wins or is defeated.
a. loses b. fights again
2. When an army wins a battle, it captures the city and people.
a. kills b. takes
3. The Israelites worshiped God.
a. forgot b. loved and respected
4. God called certain men and women to judge Israel.
a. rule, lead b. destroy
5. An army fights against its enemies.
a. people who try to help b. people who try to hurt
Othniel, the First Judge

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land of Canaan, they found many people living
there. God told the Israelites to fight against the Canaanites, and he would give them victory.
Caleb was one of the leaders of the Israelite army. After Israel won many battles, Caleb
gave his soldiers a promise. “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks
and captures the city of Kiriath Sepher.” When the soldier, Othniel, captured the city of Kiriath
Sepher, Caleb gave Acsah to Othniel in marriage.
The Israelites fought the Canaanites for many years. God promised to care for his people
and give them victory. At first the Israelites listened to God and obeyed him. They made their
home in Canaan and learned many things from the people who lived there. But some of the
things they learned were not good. The Canaanites taught the people of Israel to worship their
gods. When the Israelites began worshiping these idols, they turned away from God. They
stopped obeying God and were not faithful to his commandments.
God became very angry with his people. The next time that Israel fought the Canaanites,
God did not give Israel the victory. The Israelites were defeated in the war and had to pay a lot of
money in taxes to the enemy. Several years later, the Israelites remembered God and asked God
to help them. God heard their prayers and sent Othniel to free them from the Canaanites. Othniel
led the army of Israel in war, and God gave them victory. The people returned to God and
worshiped him. Othniel became the judge of Israel, and the land had peace for forty years.
17
Vocabulary
Exercise #1
Read the sentences carefully and choose the best meaning for the underlined word or phrase.
1. Caleb gave his soldiers a promise.
a. Caleb agreed to do something for the soldiers.
b. Caleb gave his soldiers a command to do something.
2. After the war, Othniel judged Israel for 40 years.
a. Othniel ruled Israel.
b. Othniel led Israel in worship.
3. God gave Israel land and food. God cared for Israel.
a. God provided for Israel’s needs.
b. God fought against Israel.
4. The people lost the war. They had to pay taxes to the enemy.
a. wanted to
b. must
5. When Israel obeyed God, they worshiped God.
a. praised and loved
b. turned away
6. Othniel became the judge of Israel.
a. fought as
b. turned into
Exercise #2 Opposites
Match the vocabulary word with the word that is opposite in meaning.
1. _____ remember a. take
2. _____ defeat b. leave
3. _____ at first c. forget
4. _____ give d. finally, at last
5. _____ war e. disobey
6. _____ enter f. victory
7. _____ obey g. peace
Reading Comprehension
Understanding Cause and Effect
Find the best way to complete each sentence and write the letter of your answer on the line.
1. The Israelites made God angry _____ a. because they lost the battle
2. The Israelites had to pay taxes _____ b. because Othniel was the judge
3. God helped the Israelites _____ c. because they worshiped idols
4. The people worshiped God _____ d. because they asked for help
5. The land had peace _____ e. because God gave them victory
18
Grammar
Exercise #1 Irregular verbs
Complete the following sentences with the past tense of the irregular verbs in the parentheses.
After the Israelites ___________(make) their home in Canaan, they __________ (begin)
to worship the Canaanite idols. The Israelites __________(is) disobedient to God and unfaithful
to his commandments.
The Israelites __________(fight) against the Canaanites. Sometimes Israel __________
(lose) the war and ___________(have) to pay taxes. Othniel ___________(lead) the Israelites
against the enemy, and God ___________(give) them victory. Othniel ___________ (become) a
judge in Israel.
Exercise #2 Writing negative sentences in the past tense

The main verb in a negative sentence must have a helping verb.
For the past tense, this helping verb is did.
The helping verb shows the tense of the verb.
The main verb becomes the base form of the verb and is no longer in the past simple form.
Example: Israel obeyed God.
The negative form is: Israel did not obey God.
Israel didn’t obey God.
The following groups of words are not arranged in the correct order.
Arrange these words to form negative sentences.
. Example: God did worship always the people not
The people did not always worship God.
1. victory not did God Israel give the

____________________________________________.
2. did the Canaanite lead army Caleb not
____________________________________________.
3. of the people obey did God not Israel
____________________________________________.
4. Othniel for 80 Israel did judge not years
____________________________________________.
5. enemy worship not did the Israel of the Lord
____________________________________________
19
Exercise #3
Change the following statements to negative statements.
Example: Israel always listened to the Lord.
Israel did not always listen to the Lord.
1. The army won many battles.
________________________________________________.
2. Sometimes the Israelites fought the Canaanites.
________________________________________________.
3. Israel always obeyed the Lord.
________________________________________________.
4. Fathers taught their children God’s word.
________________________________________________.
5. The people always brought gifts to God.
________________________________________________.
6. All of the priests sang songs to God.
________________________________________________.
What happened yesterday? Pairwork

What do you think your partner did yesterday?
Write down five things you think your partner did yesterday.
Discuss your ideas with your partner.
If he/she did not do this, write it out as a negative sentence.
The person who guessed the most correct things knows his/her partner the best.
Something to think about

Do we sometimes forget God? What happens when we forget God?
What are idols? What kinds of idols do you see today?
20
Unit 2 Ehud, a Clever Soldier
How did the Israelites disobey God?
What happened to Israel when they disobeyed God?

How does Ehud save Israel?
Why does the title call Ehud a ‘clever soldier’?
Read the sentences below. The bold words are from the next passage. The italicized words are
definitions. Match the definitions with the bold words.
A. strike, hurt B. long, sharp weapons C. private
D. money paid to a government E. keep covered
1. ______ If you don’t want something to be seen, you hide it.
2. ______ Before soldiers used guns, swords were often carried in battle.
3. ______ The Israelites must pay taxes to the king.
4. ______ The Israelite army attacked the enemy army.
5. ______ “Don’t tell this to anybody. It’s secret!”
Ehud, a Clever Soldier

After Othniel died, the people of Israel were not faithful to God. They worshiped idols
instead of God. When the army of Moab attacked, God did not give Israel the victory. For
eighteen years Moab ruled Israel and made the Israelites pay a lot of taxes. Israel had a very
hard time and finally prayed to the Lord. God heard their prayers and sent Ehud to save them.
Ehud was a left-handed soldier, and he made a special sword.
The Israelites told Ehud to take the tax money to King Eglon of Moab. Before he went to
the king, he took his special sword and hid it under his coat. When Ehud met King Eglon, he told
him that he had a secret message from God. No one else could hear the message. So King Eglon
sent his servants out of the room and waited for Ehud to tell him the secret message. As he came
near the king, Ehud quickly brought out his special sword and killed the king. Since King Eglon
was a very fat man, the sword went into the king’s body and disappeared into the fat. Ehud
quickly left the room, locked the doors, and ran away.
When the servants found the king, he was dead and Ehud was gone. Ehud called the army
of Israel to fight against Moab. God gave them victory over Moab. Israel no longer paid taxes to
Moab, but now Moab had to pay taxes to Israel. Ehud was a judge for eighty years and Israel had
peace.
21
Vocabulary
Choose the correct definition of the underlined word or words.
1. The people were not faithful to God. 5. Moab ruled Israel.
a. were devoted a. controlled
b. disobeyed b. fought
c. worshiped c. paid taxes to
2. They worshiped idols instead of God. 6. Ehud was a clever soldier.
a. in addition to a. obedient
b. rather than b. intelligent, smart
c. because of c. strong, powerful
3. Moab was a country near Israel. 7. Ehud made a special sword.
a. city a. long
b. king b. ordinary
c. nation c. unusual
4. God did not give victory to Israel when Moab attacked.
a. visited
b. traded
c. made war
Reading comprehension
Exercise #1 Getting the main idea
Check the sentence that describes the main idea of the passage.
1. _____ Ehud killed King Eglon.
2. _____ The people of Israel cried to the Lord for help.
3. _____ Ehud freed Israel from Moab and became judge.
4. _____ Israel did not like paying taxes to King Eglon.
Exercise #2 Find the mistake

There is one mistake in each sentence.
Find the mistake and change it to make the sentence correct.
Example: The idols heard their prayers.
God heard their prayers.
1. Eglon was king of Israel.
2. Israel was always faithful to God.
3. God sent Ehud to pray with the people of Israel.
4. Ehud hid the sword under his hat.
5. Ehud fought with his right hand.
6. Ehud killed the son of Moab.
7. The king locked himself in a room.
22
Grammar
Writing questions in the past tense
The main verb in a question must have a helping verb.
For the past tense, the helping verb is did.
The helping verb shows the tense of the verb.
The main verb becomes the base form of the verb and is no longer in the past simple form.
For example: Israel obeyed God.
The question form is: Did Israel obey God?
Exercise #1
The following groups of words are not arranged in the correct order.
Arrange these words to form questions.
. Example: Moab did rule Israel
Did Moab rule Israel?
1. Ehud save did Israel
________________________________________?
2. sword Ehud did special hide his
________________________________________?
3. Eglon did King die
________________________________________?
4. the army Ehud call of Israel did
________________________________________?
Exercise #2
Change the following statements in to questions.
Example: Moab fought against Israel.
Did Moab fight against Israel?
1. The Israelites had a hard time.
____________________________________________?
2. God heard their prayers.
____________________________________________?
3. Ehud paid the taxes to King Eglon.
____________________________________________?
4. Ehud hid the sword under his coat.
____________________________________________?
5. God gave Israel victory over Moab.
____________________________________________?
23
Survey Class mingle
First, put the following words in correct order to ask a question.
Second, ask each of your classmates the questions.
If the person answers yes, write his or her name on the line.
The winner is the first person to complete the survey with 5 different names.
Question Name
1. eat this breakfast did you morning
________________________________? _________________
2. watch last television you did night
________________________________? _________________
3. Bible did read the yesterday you
________________________________? _________________
4. did celebrate you this birthday your month
________________________________? _________________
5. speak you did English night last
________________________________? _________________

Ehud was left-handed. This made him different and special. He used this characteristic to save
his people and to serve God.
What are some of your special characteristics? How can you use them to serve God?
24
Unit 3 Deborah, a Woman Judge

What women are in leadership in your country?
Describe their position of leadership and their character.

There are two women in this story.
Find out who they are and how they helped save Israel.
1. God allowed the enemy to win the battle against the Israelites.
a. permitted, let b. defeated
2. The judges held a high position in Israel and the people showed them honor.
a. value, respect b. feeling
3. Sometimes the Israelites were not sure what to do. They were confused.
a. mixed up b. certain
4. The Israelites chased the enemy back to their own country.
a. fought b. ran after
5. When the Israelites lived in the desert they lived in tents that could be taken down and
easily carried.
a. material that is stretched over poles to provide shelter
b. houses made of wood to keep out the hot sun
Deborah, a Woman Judge

After Ehud died, the Israelites disobeyed God and did evil things again. Therefore God
allowed Jabin, king of Hazor, to defeat Israel in battle. King Jabin ruled over Israel and Israel
had to pay him taxes. After twenty years of hard times, Israel remembered the Lord their God
and called to him for help. They asked the Lord to free them from King Jabin.
During this time, Deborah was a judge and a prophetess, a woman prophet. The people
came to her when they had problems. She was a wise and well-respected leader in Israel. The
Lord spoke to her and told her to call Barak to lead the army of Israel against General Sisera,
leader of King Jabin’s army. God promised to be with Barak and give him the victory.
When Barak heard this message from the Lord, he was afraid and would not lead the
army without Deborah. She agreed to go with him, but she gave him another message from the
Lord. God said, “Because Barak is afraid, the honor will not be his. It will be given to a woman.”
So Deborah went with Barak and Israel’s army to fight against General Sisera and the army of
King Jabin.
General Sisera met the army of Israel at a mountain. Deborah and Barak trusted the Lord
to give them victory. God confused the men and horses of General Sisera’s army. They did not
know what to do or where to go. While Barak and the Israelites chased the enemy, Sisera ran
away and came to the tent of Jael. He thought she was a friend of King Jabin so he wanted to
25
hide in her tent. Jael greeted Sisera and gave him a drink and a bed. When Sisera was asleep, she
took a piece of wood and pounded it into his head and he died.
Later, Barak came to Jael’s tent looking for Sisera. Jael showed him that Sisera was
already dead. The battle was won by the Lord, the Israelites, and the brave woman, Jael. Deborah
and Barak sang a song of victory celebrating the strength of the Lord and the courage of Jael.
Vocabulary
Complete these sentences with the words below.
confused agreed well-respected against tent celebrated message
1. Sisera was very tired. He went to Jael’s ____________ to rest and hide.
2. Deborah led Israel and the people trusted her. Deborah was a ____________ leader.
3. Israel did not want to be under the rule of Jabin. Barak led Israel to fight __________ Jabin
and Sisera.
4. Deborah said that she would go with Barak. She ___________ to go.
5. The Lord spoke to Deborah. He gave her a _______________.
6. The Israelites were happy because of the victory. They ____________ and sang songs.
7. The men and horses did not know what to do. They were ___________.
Check the sentence that describes the main idea of the passage.
1. _____ Barak led the army of Israel.
2. _____ Deborah was a woman judge in Israel.
3. _____ Sisera was a general in King Jabin’s army.
4. _____ The women, Deborah and Jael, helped to save Israel.
Exercise #2 Who did what?

Match the person with what he or she did.
1. _____ Sisera a. king of Hazor
2. _____ God b. judged over Israel
3. _____ Jabin c. led Israel’s army
4. _____ Jael d. led Jabin’s army
5. _____ Deborah e. killed Sisera
6. _____ Barak f. gave Israel the victory
26
Grammar
Exercise #1 Appositives
An appositive renames, identifies, defines, or explains the noun it is placed next to.
An appositive can be a noun or pronoun and often has modifiers.
For example: John, a student in my English class, is from Japan.
The appositive is a student in my English class. It identifies John.
The following is an example of an appositive from the first paragraph of this passage.
Therefore God allowed Jabin, king of Hazor, to defeat Israel in battle.
The appositive is king of Hazor. It renames or identifies Jabin.
There are two appositives in the second paragraph and one appositive in the last paragraph.
Write the appositive and the noun it refers to.
1. Appositive: ______________________________________
Noun it refers to: _________________________________
2. Appositive: ______________________________________
Noun it refers to: _________________________________
3. Appositive: ______________________________________
Noun it refers to: _________________________________
Exercise #2 Question words
Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How are called question words.
They can introduce a question.
Who and What can be either the subject or the object of the question.
When a question word is the subject, the verb does not take a helping verb.
For example: Who obeyed the Lord?
When a question word is the object, the verb must have a helping verb.
For example: Who did Barak fight?
Create questions for the following answers using these question words.
Example: Who was the king of Hazor?__________
Jabin was the king of Hazor.
1. Where __________________________________________________?
Sisera went to the home of Jael.
2. What ___________________________________________________?
God promised a victory for Israel.
3. When ___________________________________________________?
After twenty years, the people called to the Lord for help.
4. Who _____________________________________________________?
Jael killed Sisera.
5. What _____________________________________________________?
Barak saw that Sisera was dead.
27
6. Who ______________________________________________________?
Deborah judged the people of Israel.
7. Where ____________________________________________________?
Barak and Sisera fought at Mount Tabor.
8. When _____________________________________________________?
Jael killed Sisera as he was sleeping.
Find Someone Who… Class mingle

Write the following phrases as questions using question words.
Next, ask your classmates the questions.
When you find someone who answers yes to a question, put that person’s name next to the
statement. You may only use a name once.
The first person who finds a name for each of the statements is the winner.
Example: knows the date of their parent’s wedding anniversary
What is the date of your parents’ wedding anniversary?
If someone knows the answer, write his/her name on the line.
You may not ask that person another question.
If someone does not know the answer, ask another person or ask a
different question.
Find someone who… Name

knows the date of their parents’ wedding anniversary ____________________
has the same favorite food as you ____________________
can remember when they last went to the cinema ____________________
has the same favorite book in the Bible as you ____________________
lives nearest you ____________________
knows the date of the next public holiday ____________________
wakes up at the same time as you ____________________

Deborah and Jael were both famous women in this story, but there are differences between them.
Describe 3 differences between Deborah and Jael.
Barak obeyed God, but his attitude was one of fear. God was not pleased with Barak.
Have you ever missed an opportunity because you were afraid?
28
Unit 4 Gideon and the Angel

Think of a story in the Bible when an angel visited a man or woman.
How did that person feel about seeing an angel?
What should I be looking for as I read?

How would you feel if you saw an angel?
Find out how Gideon felt.
Match the word with its meaning.
1. _____ conquer a. place of worship
2. _____ cruel b. signal, symbol
3. _____ sign c. defeat, overcome
4. _____ save d. rescue
5. _____ altar e. unkind, wicked, mean
6. _____ touch f. put a hand on
Gideon and the Angel

Once again the Israelites turned away from God and did evil things. Again God allowed
an enemy army to defeat Israel and make life hard for the Israelites. This time God allowed the
Midianites to conquer Israel and rule Israel for seven years. The Midianites were very cruel to
Israel so the Israelites prayed to the Lord for help. God sent a prophet to Israel. The prophet said,
“The Lord brought you to this land and gave it to you. God told you not to worship idols and
other gods, but you have not listened.”
Later, an angel of the Lord came to Gideon. The angel said, “The Lord is with you,
strong soldier.” Gideon asked the angel, “Why have all these bad things happened to us? Where
is the Lord?” The angel answered, “I am sending you to fight the Midianites. Call the army. Go
and save your people.” Gideon said, “My family is very small. How can I save Israel? Show me
a sign. Do not go away.” The angel said, “I will wait for you.”
Gideon went home and got some food. He brought it to the angel and gave it to him. The
angel said to Gideon, “Put the food on this rock.” Gideon obeyed the angel. The angel touched
the food, and fire came from the rock. The food and the angel were both gone.
Gideon was very afraid. He said, “O Lord, I have seen the angel of the Lord! I am going
to die!” The Lord answered, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon
praised God and built an altar to the Lord. Then he went to call the army of Israel.
29
Vocabulary
Exercise #1
Match the word with the correct definition
1. _____ rock a. a place used in worship for sacrifices
2. _____ fire b. a notice or mark
3. _____ food c. something hot
4. _____ altar d. something hard
5. _____ sign e. something to eat
Exercise #2
Choose the best meaning of the underlined word or phrase.
1. The Midianites conquered Israel.
a. The Midianites fought with Israel.
b. The Midianites defeated Israel.
c. The Midianites lost to Israel.
2. The Midianites made life hard for the Israelites.
a. The Midianites made the Israelites sad and depressed.
b. The Midianites made life comfortable.
c. The Midianites were lazy.
3. The Lord allowed Midian to conquer Israel.
a. The Lord told Midian to fight Israel.
b. The Lord gave the victory to Israel.
c. The Lord gave the victory to Midian.
4. The Midianites were cruel.
a. The Midianites were gentle.
b. The Midianites were unkind.
c. The Midianites didn’t care about Israel.
Who said that?
the prophet Gideon the angel the Lord
1.________“How can I save Israel?” 6.________“Go and save your people.”

2.________ “Peace!” 7.________ “God gave this land to you.”
3.________ “My family is very small.” 8.________ “You are not going to die.”
4.________ “Show me a sign.” 9.________ “I am sending you.”
5.________ “You have not listened.” 10.________ “Put the food on this rock.”
30
Grammar
Excerise #1 Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences give orders, directions, or advice.
An imperative sentence uses the base form of a verb.
The subject is not written or spoken. It is understood to mean the person spoken to.
Example: Sit in the chair.
Sit is the base form of the verb.
This sentence means, “I want you to sit in the chair. I am telling you to sit in the chair.”
There are six imperative sentences in this story.

The first imperative is in paragraph 2. Call the army.
The angel is giving an order to Gideon.
Read the passage again and find the other 5 imperative sentences.
Write the out the imperative and the name of the person speaking in each sentence
1. Imperative: __________________________________________________________
Who was the speaker? _____________________
2. Imperative: __________________________________________________________
3. Imperative: __________________________________________________________
4. Imperative: __________________________________________________________
5. Imperative: __________________________________________________________
Who was the speaker? __________________
Exercise #2 Indirect Speech for commands and requests

When a speech is in quotation marks, it is called direct speech. The words are the exact words
spoken. Indirect speech does not give a person’s exact words.
In order to change a command from direct to indirect speech, you must change the imperative to
an infinitive. Tell or ask is used instead of say as the reporting verb.
Rewrite the following sentences as reported commands or requests using ‘told’ or ‘asked’.
Example: The angel said to Gideon, “Call the army.”
The angel told Gideon to call the army.
1. The angel said to Gideon, “Go and save your people.” (change ‘your’ to ‘his’)
_________________________________________________
31
2. Gideon said to the angel, “Show me a sign.” (change ‘me’ to ‘him’)
__________________________________________________
3. The angel said to Gideon, “Put the food on the rock.”
__________________________________________________
4. The Lord said to Gideon, “Do not be afraid.”
__________________________________________________
What am I saying? Whole class activity

Write 3 imperative sentences on 3 separate pieces of paper.
Give the papers to the teacher.
Take turns going to the teacher, choosing a paper, and acting out the command to the class.
Do not use any words!
The class will guess the imperative sentence.
After the imperative sentence is spoken, another classmate will be asked to say the command to
the class as an indirect command.
Example: The command is “Sit down!”
John acts it out and Mary guesses it.
Then Sophia tells the class: “Mary told John to sit down.”

Why was Gideon afraid?
Should he have been afraid?
Have you ever had an experience with the Lord that made you afraid?
32
Unit 5 Gideon’s Army

What do you remember about Gideon from the last story? What did God ask him to do?
What makes an army strong? How would you choose an army if you were a general?

What is Gideon’s army like? Is it like the army you would like to command?
What is unusual about his army?
1. scared afraid wise fearful
2. test exam school trial
3. knees shoes hands ears
4. circle box square triangle
5. trumpet horn loud food
6. torch fire bright water
7. freedom limits choice independence
Gideon’s Army
Gideon called the men of Israel to fight the Midianites. Many Israelites came to join the
army because they wanted their freedom. God told Gideon that there were too many men.
Gideon asked the men who were scared to go back to their families. Most of the men left the
army.
Now Gideon’s army was small, but the Lord said that there were still too many men who
wanted to fight against the Midianites. This time the Lord gave the men a test. Gideon took the
men to the river to drink. Some men drank the water with their hands, but most of the men got on
their knees to drink and did not use their hands. God chose the men who drank the water with
their hands. These men would fight in Gideon’s army. The other men went home. Now Gideon
had only a few men in his army. Gideon and three hundred men went to fight several thousand
men in the Midianite army.
God promised Gideon the victory. Gideon believed God and told the men that they would
win the battle. At night while the Midianites were sleeping, the Israelite army made a circle
around the Midianites. Gideon gave each man a trumpet and an empty jar. Each jar had a torch of
fire inside. When Gideon blew his trumpet, all of the men blew their trumpets and shouted. They
broke the jars that they were holding. The torches were very bright, and the trumpets were very
loud. The Midianite army did not know what to do or where to run. They did not see the small
Israelite army in the dark night. The Midianites became confused and began to kill each other. In
this way God gave the victory to Gideon and Israel.
33
Vocabulary
Choose the best meaning for the underlined word.
1. The Israelites wanted their freedom. 6. There were torches of fire in each jar.
a. independence a. something that burns
b. victory b. something that makes a sound
2. The torches were very bright. 7. Gideon had three hundred men in his
a. noisy army.
b. light a. 300
3. The trumpets were very loud. b. 3000
a. made a lot of noise 8. The Midianites had several thousand men
b. made a little noise their army.
4. Gideon gave each man an empty jar. a. 100’s
a. something that holds things b. 1000’s
b. something that hurts people
5. Gideon gave each man a trumpet.
a. something that makes a sound when you hit it
b. something that makes a sound when you blow it
Exercise #1 Put the story in order
Put these sentences in the correct order. Write the number on the line.
_______ The men in Gideon’s army blew the trumpets.
_______ Some men drank with their hands.
_______ God gave Gideon the victory.
_______ The Midianites did not know what to do.
_______ Three hundred Israelites formed a circle around the Midianite army.
___1___ Many men came to fight with Gideon.
_______ God said there were too many men.
Exercise #2 Short answers

1. What words describe the confusion of the Midianite army?
____________________________________________________________
2. Describe the position of Gideon’s army when they attacked the Midianites.
____________________________________________________________
3. What advantages did the Midianite army have?
____________________________________________________________
4. What advantages did Gideon’s army have?
____________________________________________________________
34
Grammar
Expressions of Quantity
all = 100%
most = a large part, but not all
many = a lot of
some, several = a small part of a whole
a few = a smaller part, not very many
none = 0
each = individual
These expressions of quantity can be used as adjectives or as nouns.
When the expression is used as a noun, it is followed by of the phrase ‘of the’.
Most men got on their knees to drink. Most of the men went home.
Using the information in the story, write the correct expression of quantity for each sentence.
Some sentences can have more than one correct answer.
1. ___________ men wanted to be in Gideon’s army.
2. Gideon sent ___________ men back to their families.
3. __________ men drank water with their hands.
4. Gideon gave _________ man a jar and a trumpet.
5. There were __________ men in the Midianite army.
6. There were __________ men in Gideon’s army.
Survey Class mingle

How many of your classmates …. ????
Ask each of your classmates the questions in this survey.
Check the number of yes and no answers.
Write the results of your survey using expressions of quantity.
Example: A few students ate breakfast this morning.
None of the students slept more than 7 hours last night.
Did you…? Yes No
sleep more than 7 hours last night ________ _______
eat breakfast this morning ________ _______
listen to the news today ________ _______
brush your teeth last night ________ _______
check email today ________ _______

Why do you think God wanted Gideon to have a small army?
How would you respond if you were Gideon? Would you question God’s instructions?
Has there been a time when God asked you to do something unusual?
35
Unit 6 Jephthah’s Time as Judge
Jephthah made a vow to God. A vow is an agreement, contract, or promise.
Have you ever made a vow?

Jephthah had several problems during his time as a judge of Israel.
As you read, identify the problems and the results.
1. God wanted the people to sacrifice a lamb on the altar.
a. offer b. honor
2. Some men made a vow to God that they would obey his laws.
a. warning b. promise
3. The men of Israel were not allowed to marry foreign women.
a. from other countries b. from your country
4. Sometimes Israel was controlled by enemy countries.
a. attacked, hurt b. commanded, ruled
Jephthah’s Time as Judge

Jephthah was another judge of Israel. He was called to lead the army of Israel against the
nation of Ammon. As Israel was preparing for battle, the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah
and promised him victory. In response to God’s promise, Jephthah made a vow to God. He said,
“If God helps us win this victory, I will give to the Lord the first thing that comes out of the door
of my house to meet me. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” Then Jephthah led the Israelties in
battle against the people of Ammon. God was with Israel and gave them victory.
After the battle, Jephthah returned to his home. As he was coming to his house, his only
daughter ran to meet him. Jephthah remembered his vow to God and was very sad. He told his
daughter about his promise to God. Both Jephthah and his daughter knew that they had to keep
the vow to God.
Jephthah had many problems while he was the judge. The Israelites not only fought
against foreign enemies, but they also fought against each other. For many years, the men from
Gilead fought against the men from Ephraim. All of these men were Israelites and they should
work together to build a strong nation, not fight against each other.
The men from Gilead, the Gileadites, controlled the river that separated their land from
Ephraim. They did not allow the men from Ephraim, or the Ephraimites, to cross the river. The
Gileadites tested each man who wanted to cross the river to find out if he was from Gilead or
from Ephraim. The test was whether or not the man could pronounce the word “Shibboleth”. The
Ephraimites could neither say “sh” nor “Shibboleth”. When they said “Shibboleth”, it sounded
like “Sibboleth”. In this way the Gileadites knew whether the men were Ephraimites or not. If
they were from Ephraim, the Gileadites killed them as they tried to cross the river.
36
Vocabulary
1. Which of the following uses fire? 5. Which of these is foreign?
a. a vow a. your mother
b. a burnt offering b. the leader of your country
c. a covenant c. a stranger
2. What word is used to answer a question? 6. Which of these holds the most water?
a. ask a. a river
b. respond b. a stream
c. describe c. a swimming pool
3. What part of learning a language involves 7. According to this passage, the border
the tongue? of Ephraim was
a. reading a. a test
b. writing b. an army
c. pronouncing c. a river
4. A vow is _________ 8. Which of these is not a test?
a. a promise a. a final exam in school
b. an idea b. what you take with you on an
c. an argument airplane
c. putting your finger in water to find
out if it is cold or hot
1. What did Jephthah vow to do?
______________________________________________________________
2. In paragraph 1, what does the word ‘it’ refer to?
______________________________________________________________
3. Why was it wrong for the Israelites to fight each other?
______________________________________________________________
4. What could the men from Gilead do that the men from Ephraim could not do?
______________________________________________________________
5. Write down the sentence that best describes Jephthah’s time as judge.
______________________________________________________________
37
Exercise #2 Main idea and details
There is one main idea and two details, or supporting ideas in each of the following groups of
sentences. Find the main idea and write an ‘M’ on the line. Put a ‘D’ next to each detail sentence.
1. _______ Jephthah made a vow to the Lord.
_______ Jephthah was sad about the vow.
_______ Jephthah’s daughter met Jephthah when he came home.
2. ______ The Israelites fought against each other.
______ Gilead was part of Israel.
______ The men from Ephraim did not like Gilead.
3. ______ The Ephraimites could not pronounce ‘sh’.
______ The Gileadites were able to pronounce ‘sh’.
______ The Gileadites tested the Ephraimites in order to kill them.
Grammar
Exercise #1 Paired Conjunctions
Paired conjunctions have a partner to tell what is coming and to emphasize the meaning.
There are five paired conjunctions:
both/and not only/but also neither/nor either/or whether/or
The first three paired conjunctions mean that the pairs are expressing similar ideas.
Either/or and whether/or mean a choice is being presented.
Complete these sentences with a paired conjunction.
You will use a different paired conjunction in each sentence.
1. _______________ Jephthah _____________ Gideon became famous judges in Israel.
2. _______________ Israel obeyed God and had peace, ____________ they disobeyed God and
had war.
3. The Gileadites needed to know _____________ the men could say “Shibboleth”
___________ not.
4. ______________ Jephthah ____________ his daughter were happy.
5. The Israelites _____________ fought foreign wars, ______________fought civil wars.
Exercise #2
There are four examples of paired conjunctions in this passage.
Write out the sentences and underline the paired conjunction.
Write down what words or ideas are being joined.
Example: The men from Gilead knew whether they were Ephraimites or not.
Ephraimites, not Ephraimites
1. ____________________________________________________________________
________________________________
38
2. ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________
Gossip - Pronunciation Practice Whole class activity

The students form 2 lines on either side of the room.
The teacher whispers a sentence to the first person in each line, who then whispers it to the next
person in line. The message is whispered down the line until it reaches the last person.
The last person repeats the message out loud to the class.
Which team was able to keep the sentence closest to the original?
How did the message change?

Are all vows bad?
What was wrong with Jephthah’s vow?
Do you have civil wars in your country?

What are the problems that create civil wars today?
39
Unit 7 An Angel and Samson’s Parents
Think of a story in the Bible about a special or unusual birth.
What made the birth special?

Why did an angel come to Samson’s parents?
What was special about Samson’s birth?
How did his parents respond?
Match the following words from the passage with the word that is opposite in meaning.
1. _____ birth a. curse
2. _____ adult b. death
3. _____ bless c. reject
4. _____ choose d. child
1. An angel appeared to Gideon.
a. talked b. was able to be seen
2. The judges were men and women set apart by God to serve Israel.
a. priests b. chosen, selected
3. Parents were expected to raise their children to obey the Lord.
a. bring up, nurture b. trust
4. Israel needed to prepare itself for battle.
a. make ready b. confuse
An Angel and Samson’s Parents

The Lord allowed the Philistines to rule Israel because the Israelites did evil and
disobeyed God. After forty years God began to prepare Israel for victory over the Philistines.
This time God did not call an adult man or woman to lead the Israelites. Before Samson was
born, God chose him. He was set apart from birth to be a leader and judge in Israel.
Manoah and his wife were not able to have children. One day an angel of the Lord
appeared to Manoah’s wife and told her she was going to have a son. The angel told her she must
not drink wine or eat unclean food. Her son must be set apart to God from birth until his death.
After the angel left, Manoah’s wife ran to tell her husband. Her husband wanted to see
the angel, too. He prayed, “Lord, can the angel come back and visit me? May I see the angel,
too?”
Soon after this, the angel appeared to Manoah and his wife. Manoah asked him, “How
should we raise this special boy? Could you stay and eat with us?” The angel replied, “Your wife
must do all that I have told her. I cannot stay and eat your food, but you may prepare a sacrifice
to the Lord.”
40
Then Manoah prepared a young goat as a sacrifice. While the sacrifice was burning, the
angel went up to heaven in the fire. At first Manoah was afraid because he had seen an angel of
the Lord. He thought he might die, but his wife told him that they shouldn’t be afraid. God would
keep his promise and bless them with a baby boy.
When the baby was born, his mother named him Samson. Samson grew, and the Lord
blessed him.
Vocabulary
Implications
Choose which answer is closest in meaning to the sentence from the passage.
1. The Lord allowed the Philistines to rule Israel because the Israelites disobeyed God.
a. The Israelites invited the Philistines to be their leaders.
b. Israel lost a war to the Philistines.
2. This time God did not call an adult man or woman to lead the Israelites.
a. The past judges were called by God when they were adults.
b. The new judge would not be called by God.
3. He was set apart from birth to be a leader and judge in Israel.
a. Samson would be different from other people.
b. Samson would bring a new type of leadership to Israel.
4. Manoah was afraid because he had seen an angel of the Lord. He thought he might die.
a. Angels often killed people.
b. Angels are holy and pure, and men are not usually allowed to talk with them.
Exercise #1 Who said that?
the angel Manoah Manoah’s wife
1. ____________ How should we raise this special boy?
2. ____________ You must not drink any wine.
3. ____________ You must do all that I have told you.
4. ____________ Can the angel come back?
5. ____________ Don’t be afraid.
6. ____________ His name is Samson.
7. ____________ You may prepare a sacrifice to the Lord.
Choose the sentence that describes the main idea of the passage.
1. _____ An angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife first, then to Manoah.
2. _____ An angel told Manoah and his wife that they would have a very special son.
3. _____ The angel went up to heaven in the fire of the sacrifice.
4. _____ Manoah and his wife could not have any children.
41
Grammar
Modals
Modals usually express the speaker’s attitudes.
Modals act as helping verbs.
Modals do not change in form to agree with the subject.
Modals are followed by the base form of the verb.
Correct: She might go to class.
Incorrect: She mights go to class. She might goes to class.
Modals can be single words: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would
Modals can be phrasal expressions and used with the infinitive:
be able to, be going to, be supposed to, have to, have got to, ought to , used to
There are different functions or uses of modals.
Below is a list of functions of modals, and the sentences from the passage which contain modals.
Write the function of the modal on the line of the correct sentence.
More than one function may describe the modal.
ability possibility necessity certainty
giving permission asking for permission request
1. ____________ Manoah and his wife were not able to have children.
2. ____________ The angel told her that she was going to have a son.
3. ____________ Her son must be set apart to God.
4. ____________ Lord, can the angel come back and visit me?
5. ____________ May I see the angel, too?
6. ____________ How should we raise this special boy?
7. ____________ Could you stay and eat with us?
8. ____________ You may prepare a sacrifice to the Lord
9. ____________ He thought he might die.
10. ____________ His wife told him that they shouldn’t be afraid.
11. ____________ God will bless them with a baby boy.
42
Going on a trip! Pairwork
Modals express degrees of certainty or necessity.
100% will, be going to
95% must, have to
90% should, ought to, had better
less than 50% may, might, could
Work in pairs and create a list of 7 things that you take on a trip.
Use modals from the list above, and write complete sentences.
Example: You ought to take a camera.
Compare your list with another pair.
Do you agree with their choices of modals?

At the beginning of this unit you were asked to think about other special births in the Bible.
How does Samson’s birth compare with others?
What is special about the births of Samuel, John the Baptist, Jesus?
Are there other men or women in the Bible whom God set apart for his special purposes?
43
Unit 8 Samson’s Decisions
We all make decisions. Some decisions are good and some are bad.
How do you make decisions?

What decisions does Samson make? What are the results of the decisions?
Do they agree with what God called him to do?
1. lion monkey horse farm
2. wedding death marriage husband and wife
3. honey sweet sticky meat
4. burn ice fire hot
5. angry mad happy furious
6. complain praise protest grumble
Samson’s Decisions
When Samson was a young man, he decided to marry a Philistine girl. His parents were
upset with him because Israelite men were not allowed to marry foreign women. They tried to
change his decision, but Samson wanted a Philistine bride.
While Samson and his parents were going to the city of Timnah to plan the marriage, a
lion ran at Samson. The Spirit of the Lord filled Samson with strength, and he killed the lion with
his hands. Later, as Samson was returning to Timnah for the wedding, he went to the body of the
dead lion. He reached inside the dead body and took out honey. After eating some honey, he
shared the rest of the honey with his parents.
At the wedding celebration, all of the men were drinking a lot of wine. There was trouble
between Samson and the friends of his bride. Samson got mad, went to another city, killed thirty
men, and brought their clothes to the bride’s friends. He then returned home with his parents.
Later when he visited his bride, he discovered that her father had given her in marriage to
another man. Samson became very angry and burned the fields of the town. While the men were
watching their fields burn, they decided to burn the house of Samson’s bride and her father. This
made Samson even angrier, and so he killed the men.
Later, when the Philistine army was looking for Samson, he hid in a cave which is a large
hole in the side of a mountain. The Israelites came to him and asked him to go to the Philistines.
The Israelites were afraid of the army of the Philistines. Samson agreed to let the Israelites tie
him with ropes and take him to the Philistines. While the Israelites were leading him to the
Philistines, the Spirit of the Lord came to Samson. He broke the ropes, took an animal bone, and
killed one thousand Philistines. After this, Samson felt like he was dying of thirst so he
complained to God. Water began to flow from a small place nearby, and Samson drank and
rested.
44
Vocabulary
Complete the sentences with the words below.
complained thirst allow honey flows celebration
1. God did not want the Israelites to marry foreign women. He did not ____________ it.
2. Hunger is satisfied with food. ____________ is satisfied with drink.
3. When water runs in a river, we say that it ____________ in the river.
4. ______________ is something that tastes very sweet.
5. When people gather at a ____________, they enjoy themselves and have fun.
6. Samson was tired and upset. He _____________ to God.
Exercise #1 Cause and effect
Match the cause with the effect or result.
1. When Samson wanted to marry _____ a. he complained to God.
2. When a lion ran out _____ b. he found honey.
3. When he reached inside the dead lion _____ c. he killed one thousand men.
4. When Samson took the animal bone _____ d. he often killed people.
5. When Samson was thirsty _____ e. he chose a Philistine girl.
6. When Samson got angry _____ f. Samson killed it
Exercise #2 Looking for details

Samson was dedicated to God as a Nazarite. This meant that he could not eat or drink anything
made from grapes. He could not touch any dead person or animal. As a leader of Israel, he was to
live a life holy, devoted and thankful to God.
Each paragraph in this passage describes at least one bad decision Samson made.
Identify the decision on the lines below.
Then discuss with a partner the reason why you think the decision was a bad one.
Paragraph #1 _____________________________________________________________
Paragraph #2 _____________________________________________________________
Paragraph #3 _____________________________________________________________
Paragraph #4 ______________________________________________________________
45
Grammar
Past progressive (continuous) tense
The past progressive tense expresses the relationship of an ongoing action to a point of time or a
one time action.
It is formed with the verb to be(past) + -ing
The following sentence expresses an activity that was in progress at a point of time in the past.
At ten o’clock last night, I was studying.
The point of time is ten o’clock last night.
The ongoing activity is I was studying.
The following sentence expresses an activity that began earlier and was in progress when another
action occurred.
While I was studying, John came.
The one time action is John came.
The ongoing activity is while I was studying.
Look at these examples from the passage.
At the wedding celebration, the men were drinking a lot of wine.
The point of time is at the wedding celebration.
The ongoing activity is the men were drinking a lot of wine.
While Samson and his parents were going to Timnah to arrange the marriage, a lion ran
at Samson.
The ongoing activity is while Samson and his parents were going to Timnah.
The one time action is a lion ran at Samson.
In the following exercise, think about which phrase expresses an ongoing action and which
phrase expresses a onetime action.
Combine the two phrases using the past progressive tense to describe the ongoing action and
the simple past tense to describe the onetime action.
(Include words such as when, as, while)
Example: Samson returns to Timnah Samson goes to the body of the dead lion
As Samson was returning to Timnah, he went to the body of the dead lion.
1. the Philistine army looks for Samson Samson hides in a cave
________________________________________________________________
2. the Spirit of the Lord comes to Samson Samson goes to the Philistines
________________________________________________________________
3. the Philistines watch their fields burn they decide to burn her house
_________________________________________________________________
4. Samson goes to Timnah a lion runs at him
_________________________________________________________________
5. the men drink at the wedding there is trouble
_________________________________________________________________
46
Playing Detective! Pairwork
Work with a partner. Write the name of an object on a piece of paper.

Example: car, apple, computer
Exchange papers with another pair of students.
Using the object that was given to your pair, create 5 sentences using the past progressive tense
to answer the question, “What were you doing at 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon?”
Example: an umbrella
What were you doing at 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon?
I was buying an umbrella.
I was putting up my umbrella.
I was stealing an umbrella.
I was painting a picture of my umbrella.
I was using my umbrella in the rain.
Extension: Create additional sentences using the words while, when, as.
Example: While I was putting up my umbrella, it started to rain.
(Susan Kay, Reward Pre-Intermediate Resource Pack, p. 102)

Even though God called Samson to be a Nazarite and a leader, Samson made some bad
decisions. But God continued to use Samson. The Spirit of the Lord came on Samson several
times and gave him supernatural strength. God cared for Samson in many ways.
What do you learn about God’s character and grace through the story of Samson?
How can you see God’s grace in your own life?

What lessons can you learn about grace and how can you apply grace to other people?
47
Unit 9 Samson and Delilah
Share 3 adjectives to describe Samson.

How did Samson use the gifts that God gave him?
1. Samson discovered that he had amazing strength.
a. found out b. lost
2. Samson was very upset when he lost his Philistine bride.
a. angry b. confused
3. The soldier tied his horse to a tree.
a. fastened, bound b. walked slowly
4. The soldier tied his horse to a tree with a rope.
a. a bush b. a line or cord
5. The enemy captured some of the Israelite women.
a. killed b. took
6. When you can’t lift something, you might think that you are weak.
a. strong b. powerless
Samson and Delilah

Sometime later Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah and visited
her often. When the rulers of the Philistines knew that Samson was visiting Delilah, they saw
their chance to capture him. Because Samson had been causing trouble and killing Philistines for
many years, they wanted to stop him. So the Philistine rulers went to Delilah and offered her
money to discover what made Samson so strong.
The next time Samson came to Delilah’s house, she asked him about his strength. Samson
told her, “If I were tied with new ropes, then I would be as weak as anyone else.” So while
Samson was sleeping, Delilah tied him with new ropes. Then she cried out, “Samson, the
Philistines are here!” She thought he would be captured. However, Samson broke the ropes very
easily.
Three times Delilah asked Samson about his strength. Each time he described a different
way to tie his hair. He told her that when his hair was tied, he would become weak. In spite of
her efforts, Samson always broke free and could not be captured.
Meanwhile Delilah was becoming very upset. She said, “Samson, you are making fun of
me. How can you say that you love me if you lie to me and keep secrets from me? Tell me what
makes you strong.” Samson got tired of hearing Delilah ask him over and over again about his
strength. Finally he told her, “If my hair were cut, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
48
At once Delilah realized Samson was telling her the truth. Therefore she called the
Philistine rulers to cut Samson’s hair while he was sleeping. Again she cried out, “Samson, the
Philistines are here!” When he woke up, he thought he would be as strong as before. He did not
realize that the Lord had left him.
Thus the Philistines captured Samson and blinded his eyes. They put him in a prison
where he worked like an animal. Eventually his hair grew back.
Vocabulary
Exercise #1 Odd One Out
Choose the word that does not belong in the group. The first one is done for you.
1. strong powerful angry mighty
2. true real honest unsure
3. rope cut line cord
4. capture battle take hold
5. hair beard nose curls
6. visit stop by stay at put on
7. tie bind knife fasten
Exercise #2
There are several phrasal verbs in this passage.
Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs and particles.
Common particles include in, on, off, up, down, and out.
Verb + particle combinations carry their own meanings.
Example: turn + on.
To turn on the television does not mean to turn it in a different direction or to put something on
it. Rather, the phrasal verb creates a new meaning: turn on means to start or activate.
Complete the following sentences with the correct phrasal verb.
Be sure to use the appropriate tense!
wake up cry out make fun of grow back find out get tired of
1. When you laugh at another person, we say that you __________________ him or her.
2. If you have discovered a fact, you ____________ new information.
3. After you cut your hair, it ______________ in a few weeks or months.
4. If you have not slept well, it is hard to _____________.
5. Sometimes you ____________ listening to the same song many times.
6. When the little girl saw the big dog, she ______________ for help.
49
1. Which word tells us that Delilah was angry?
________________________________________________________
2. Which words give the reason why Samson told Delilah his secret?
________________________________________________________
3. What clue does the last sentence give about the future of Samson? What do you think
might happen?
________________________________________________________
4. In your opinion, why did Delilah want Samson to tell her his secret?
________________________________________________________
5. Do you think Delilah loved Samson? If yes, why? If no, why not?
________________________________________________________
Exercise #2 Main idea and details
Each of these groups of sentences describes the main idea and 2 details from each paragraph in
the passage.
Write an ‘M’ next to the main idea and a ‘D’ next to each detail sentence.
1. _______ Samson visited Delilah.

_______ Samson fell in love with Delilah.
_______ The Philistine rulers wanted to capture Samson.
2. _______ Samson could not be captured.

_______ Delilah tied Samson with ropes.
_______ Delilah called to the Philistine rulers.
3. _______ There were different ways to tie his hair.

_______ Samson did not tell Delilah the truth.
_______ Delilah asked Samson about his strength 3 times.
4. _______ Samson told Delilah the truth about his strength.

_______ Delilah became upset.
_______ Samson kept secrets from Delilah.
5. _______ Samson fell asleep at Delilah’s place.

_______ The Lord left Samson.
_______ Delilah woke Samson.
6. _______ The Philistines captured Samson.

_______ The Philistines blinded Samson.
_______ The Philistines put Samson in prison.
50
Grammar
Transition Signals
Some of the words in the passage are in italics. These words are called transition signals. They
show changes in the writing and guide the reader by indicating the connection between ideas.
Transition signals may be grouped according to the kinds of ideas they express.
There are 4 categories of transition signals listed below.
Write the transition signals from the passage under the appropriate heading or category.
Linking similar ideas or adding an idea
_____________________________________________________
Linking ideas that are not the same

_____________________________________________________
Indicating cause, purpose, or result

_____________________________________________________
Indicating time or position

_____________________________________________________
How Do You Do That? Small groups

Form groups of 3 people.
Decide on a process that your group would like to describe.
Some suggestions are:
how to brush your teeth
how to make a cup of tea
how to cook rice
You must include 5 steps in the process. Each step needs to be a complete sentence.
You must begin each sentence with a different transition signal.
You may use the transition signals from the passage.

What did God expect of Samson? Did Samson meet God’s expectations?
What do you learn about Samson’s relationship with God from this story?
What do you learn about his attitude toward the gift God had given him?
How can you apply this lesson to your own life?
51
Unit 10 Samson’s Final Victory
What happened to Samson in the last passage?
At the end of the passage, where was he and what was he doing?

What do you think will happen to Samson?
As you read, see if you are correct.
1. The people were very excited to go to the festival.
a. celebration b. school
2. The temple was an important building in every city.
a. a government place b. a religious place
3. It is fun to laugh when you are enjoying a show.
a. entertainment b. feast
4. The Philistines had made Samson blind.
a. can’t see b. can’t hear
5. The roof of the temple is held up by the pillars.
a. chairs and tables b. columns, posts
Samson’s Final Victory

As you read this passage, fill in the blanks with prepositions from the list below. Use a different
preposition for each blank.
on during against between in for to with
The Philistine rulers held a great festival _________ a large temple. They offered
sacrifices to their god Dagon and praised him _________ the victory over Samson. The inside of
the temple was filled _________ hundreds of people and there were three thousand more men
and women sitting _________ the roof. The people were drunk and called for Samson to come
out and put on a show. They wanted to make fun of him and laugh at him because he was blind.
The prison guards brought Samson into the center of the temple and placed him _________ the
two main pillars that held up the roof.
Samson prayed _________ God and asked the Lord to make him strong one more time.
He wanted to get even with the Philistines for blinding his eyes. Samson put his hands on the
pillars and pushed _________ them. The temple fell down on the Philistine rulers, on all the
people and on Samson too. Samson killed more people as he died than he had _________ his
lifetime.
Later Samson’s brothers came and took his body to his hometown. He was buried near
his father. Samson had ruled Israel for twenty years.
52
Vocabulary
1. If you are drunk, you have had too much 6. A pillar is a type of
a. food a. column
b. alcohol b. prison
c. sleep c. roof
d. laughter d. guard
2. When you look at a house, the roof is 7. Chains are used
a. on the ground a. to kill someone
b. behind the window b. to free someone
c. on the top c. to control someone
d. in the back d. to protect someone
3. Samson was blind. That means that he _______ 8. You go to a festival to _________
a. could not hear a. celebrate
b. was a prisoner b. cry
c. could not see c. learn
d. did not know where he was d. share ideas
4. If you want to get even with someone, you want
a. to make peace
b. to hurt the person
c. to take him to court
d. to make fun of the person
5. Which of these is an example of ‘making fun of someone’?
a. laughing at a comedy show
b. laughing when someone falls down and hurts himself
c. laughing when your friend tells a joke
d. laughing with friends at a wedding
Reading Comprehension
Find the mistake in each sentence and correct it.
1. The Philistines were celebrating in the palace.
2. Samson prayed against God for strength.
3. Samson was brought to the roof of the temple.
4. Samson was not able to hear the Philistines.
5. Samson put his hands under the pillars.
6. When the building fell down, the Israelites were killed.
7. The prison brought Samson to the temple.
8. Samson was buried in a foreign country.
53
Grammar
Prepositions
Exercise #1
Prepositions are used to show the relationship of a noun or pronoun to some other word in the
sentence. They are usually followed by a noun or noun phrase. This is called a prepositional
phrase. Prepositions can include one, two, or more words.
Remember the difference between a prepositional phrase and an infinitive!
to + noun = prepositional phrase
to the festival, to the people, to class
to + verb = infinitive
to work, to laugh, to die
Underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentences.
Example: Many people came to the temple of Dagon.
1. The people sat on the roof of the temple.
2. During the festival, the people were drunk.
3. The Philistines wanted to see Samson in his chains.
4. The guard from the prison placed Samson between the pillars.
5. Samson was next to one of the big pillars.
6. God heard the prayer of Samson and gave him strength to destroy the temple.
7. The men and women of Philistia were shouting at Samson.
8. Samson died with the Philistine people.
9. His brothers came to the temple to get Samson’s body.
10. Samson was placed in the middle of the temple.
Exercise #2
Let’s draw! Individual activity
The teacher reads out these directions for a drawing one step at a time as the students draw
according to the directions.
Draw a large square in the center of your paper.

Draw a square inside the first square.
Draw a rectangle under the first square.
Draw 4 rows of dots inside the rectangle.
Draw a small triangle beside the rectangle.
Draw an ‘S’ connecting the triangle and the first square.
What did you draw?
Draw a large horizontal rectangle.

Draw 2 circles under the rectangle.
Draw a triangle beside the rectangle and touching it.
Draw a circle under the triangle.
Draw a small square inside the triangle.
What did you draw?
54
You Try It!
Each student creates a simple drawing and writes out the directions.
Don’t show your partner the drawing!
Read the directions while your partner follows the directions.
Could your partner draw the picture correctly?
How good were your directions?

How was Samson able to kill the Philistines?
Do you think Samson was sorry for disobeying to God?
55
Unit 11 Samuel, the Last Judge
From the previous passages, what have you learned about the judges in Israel?

As you read, look for reasons why Samuel was the last judge of Israel.
Match the word from the passage with the correct definition.
1. _____ dedicate a. a place where a king might live
2. _____ dream b. something you might do to show honor or devotion
3. _____ commands c. something you might do while you are asleep
4. _____ palace d. words that a general might give to his army
Samuel, the Last Judge

Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had many children, but Hannah
had none. Hannah was very sad and prayed to the Lord for a son. She promised God that if he
would give her a son, she would dedicate his life to the service of the Lord. God answered her
prayers and she gave birth to a baby boy. She named him Samuel.
When Samuel was very young, Hannah took him to the house of the Lord and dedicated
him to the Lord. Samuel stayed with Eli, the priest, and learned how to serve in the house of the
Lord. Eli’s sons were also priests, but they were wicked men who did not respect the Lord or his
commands.
Even though Eli’s sons were a bad example, Samuel grew up to love the Lord. He helped
Eli with the care of the house of the Lord, the sacrifices, and the duties of the priests. One night
the Lord called Samuel in a dream. At first he thought it was Eli calling him, but it was the Lord.
Eli taught him to listen to the Lord and to hear God’s words. Throughout Samuel’s life, the Lord
came to him in visions and words. In this way Samuel was not only a judge, but also a prophet in
Israel.
When Samuel was older, he traveled from one city in Israel to another. In each city he
offered sacrifices and led the people in worshiping the Lord. Samuel spoke the word of the Lord
and encouraged the people to obey God’s commands. The people looked forward to Samuel’s
visits and message.
When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges in Israel. But Samuel’s sons did not
obey God or follow his commands. The people of Israel met together and complained to Samuel
about his sons. They told Samuel that they did not want any more judges; they wanted a king.
Samuel was very upset and prayed to the Lord. God was also angry. The people did not
want to be God’s special people any longer. They wanted to be like the other nations. They did
not want God to be their king. The people wanted a king who lived in a big, beautiful palace and
led a large army into battle. God told Samuel that he would give the people a king. So God chose
Saul to be king, and Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel.
56
Vocabulary
Exercise #1 Odd One Out
In the following exercise, there are groups of four words. Each group has one word that is
different from the other words in the group.
Choose the word that does not belong in the group. The first one is done for you.
1. upset powerful angry mad
2. evil wicked sad bad
3. duty work a job playing basketball
4. message email library letter
5. nation province school city
6. palace royalty king house
Exercise #2
Choose the best answer to complete the sentence.
1. If you dedicate a building, you 4. If you respect your father, you
a. celebrate it a. know him
b. devote it b. ignore him
c. live in it c. honor him
2. If you appoint a leader, you 5. If you complain about the food, you
a. love him a. dislike it
b. obey him b. eat it
c. select him c. share it
3. If you anoint someone with oil, he becomes
a. dirty
b. relaxed
c. special
Put the story in order
Put these sentences in the correct order. Write the number on the line.
The first one is done for you.
_______ Samuel sacrifices in many cities in Israel.
_______ Hannah dedicates her son to the Lord.
_______ God chooses Saul to be king.
_______ Samuel helps Eli.
_______ Saul is anointed king of Israel.
___1___ Hannah cannot have children.
_______ The people do not want Samuel’s sons to be judges.
57
Grammar
Adjectives
Adjectives can come before a noun, and they can come after the verb to be.
Example: Eli’s sons were wicked men.
Eli’s sons were wicked.
In the first sentence, wicked is an adjective describing the noun, men, and is placed before
the noun.
In the second sentence, wicked follows the verb to be and describes the word, sons.
When the adjective follows the verb to be, it is called a predicate adjective.
Exercise #1
First, underline the adjective.
Then, change the sentence so that the adjective becomes a predicate adjective.
Example: Faithful Hannah loved the Lord.
Hannah was faithful.
1. Young Samuel served in the house of the Lord.
_________________________
2. Samuel was a good judge.
_________________________
3. Kings live in beautiful palaces.
_________________________
4. The people wanted a strong army.
_________________________
5. The Israelites were God’s special people.
________________________
Exercise #2
If you use more than one adjective to describe a noun, the adjectives follow a certain order:
number, size or shape, condition, color, and origin.
The following chart shows some examples of adjectives in the categories.
Number Size or Shape Condition Color Origin
one big beautiful red German
two round wet dark Chinese
many short sunny black American
all heavy young green Pacific
Add 3 more adjectives to each category.
_______ _________ ________ _______ __________
_______ _________ ________ _______ __________
_______ _________ ________ _______ __________
58
On Your Mark! Get Set! Go! Small group activity
Work in groups of 3 or 4.
The teacher will list 30 adjectives on the board.
Each group will make as many sentences as possible using the adjectives appropriately and in
correct order.
Each adjective may be used only once.
Each sentence must include at least 3 adjectives.
You will be given 5 minutes to complete this activity.
When you are finished, exchange your papers with another group.
Check their sentences for appropriate use of the adjectives and correct order.
The group that correctly completes the most sentences in the winner!
Here is a sample of adjectives that could be used for this activity:
Fun, hard-working, pink, three, little, nice, lovely, enormous, Korean, yellow, light,
African, purple, Australian, most, cloudy, ugly, white, old, tiny, British, Spanish, five hundred,
Greek, delicious, juicy, ten, fifty, tall, square
Example of a correct sentence: I have three, little, white puppies.

Why did God give the Israelites a king?
The people of Israel were not satisfied with the way God had ruled their nation.
They wanted to be like the other nations.
Have you or your church ever acted in a similar way?
Have you wanted to be like other ministries, or more “successful” pastors?
Is this attitude wrong?
If so, why? If not, why not?
How can we avoid having an attitude like this?
59
Unit 12 Overview
From the previous passages, what have you learned about this time in the history of Israel?

Overview means ‘summary’, ‘outline’, or ‘general idea’.
As you read, look for the main idea of the book of Judges.
1. The people of Israel disobeyed God’s laws. They broke their covenant with God.
a. agreement b. altar
2. Enemies often conquered Israel and made life hard for the Israelites.
a. joined, united b. defeated, took over
3. Israel became a monarchy after the time of judges and Saul was the first king.
a. ruled by the priests b. ruled by a king
4. Israel was oppressed by other nations and had to pay taxes to them.
a. made an agreement b. taken over
5. When Israel worshiped idols, they rejected God.
a. loved b. refused, denied
6. There is a pattern of events in the book of Judges.
a. repeated design, series b. problem
7. The people of Israel came from twelve different tribes.
a. large groups of families b. nations
8. When the land had peace, the Israelites enjoy a comfortable life.
a. easy b. tired
Overview
The book of Judges describes a period of time when the tribes of Israel began to conquer
and settle in the Promised Land. It tells about the time from the death of Joshua to the beginning
of the monarchy when the nation was ruled by kings. The tribes of Israel were not united and
were often fighting one another, as well as fighting other countries.
The judges came from different tribes. There was no single leader over the whole nation.
God was the king of Israel. His word was to be the law of the land. The priests were to teach the
people and tell them how to live and how to worship.
Unfortunately, this system did not work. The people quickly forgot the Lord God who
freed them from Egypt and brought them safely to the Promised Land. Fathers did not teach
their children to trust and obey God. The priests did not carry out their responsibilities of
showing the people God’s ways.
The book of Judges follows a pattern, or cycle. When the people trusted God, they were
free and safe. But the comfortable lifestyle made them forget God and disobey. Enemies
attacked and conquered Israel. Then they oppressed the Israelites and made life hard for them.
60
After several years, the Israelites remembered the Lord and cried out for help. God sent a judge
to free them from the enemies. Israel won the battle, praised the Lord, and followed the judge.
The land had peace for a number of years until the people forgot God and disobeyed again.
Through the years this cycle grew worse as the people continued to disobey God. During
the time of Eli’s wicked sons, the Ark of the Covenant was used as a sign of good luck. God told
the people to respect the Ark and consider it holy. But instead, the priests took it into battle and it
was captured by the Philistines. This showed that the people did not respect God and were not
faithful to God’s covenant. Finally, Israel rejected God as their leader and asked for a king to
rule over them.
Vocabulary
Opposites
Match each word with its opposite.
1. _____ worse a. fortunately, luckily
2. _____ reject b. better
3. _____ unite c. same, similar
4. _____ unfortunately d. accept, agree
5. _____ various e. separate, break up
Choose the best answer.
1. The book of Judges describes the time in history before
a. God brought Israel out of Egypt
b. Israel had a king
c. Israel entered the Promised Land
2. Who was the king of Israel during the time of the judges?
a. God
b. the priests
c. the judges
3. Why did the people forget God?
a. because they lost the wars
b. because they didn’t have a king
c. because they didn’t teach their children to obey God
4. Which group of words best describes the pattern of the book of Judges?
a. disobedience, oppression, repentance, deliverance
b. salvation, victory, repentance, enemies
c. battle, judges, worship, peace
5. During Eli’s time, the Ark of the Covenant became
a. a place of sacrifice
b. a good luck symbol
c. a gift to the Philistines
61
Grammar
Pronouns
Pronouns are words that take the place of a noun or another pronoun.
When you read, it is very important to know what word the pronoun replaces.
In the passage you just read, some of the pronouns are in bold type.
Exercise #1
Read the passage again and think about what each bold-type pronoun is referring to.
In the following exercise, write the noun that the pronoun is replacing.
Example: Paragraph #1 it = book of Judges
1. Paragraph #2 his = ______________

2. Paragraph #3 them = ____________
3. their = _____________
4. Paragraph #4 they = _____________
5. them = _____________
6. Paragraph #5 it = ________________
7. this = ______________
Exercise #2
Circle the correct pronoun.
1. (They, Them) disobeyed God.
2. The people wanted a king to rule (their, there) nation.
3. God allowed the enemies to conquer (his, him) people.
4. God wanted the Israelites to obey (he, him).
5. The people forgot (his, their) God.
6. An army took orders from (its, it’s) king.
7. Samuel’s sons did not respect (his, their, its) father.
8. The priests were not responsible in (there, their, his) duties.
9. The land of Israel had peace during the time the judge ruled (it, them).
10. The people sent the Ark of the Covenant into battle. (It, They) did not respect (them, it).
Exercise #3
Who is it? What is it?
Which noun is the italicized pronoun referring to?
Write the letter of your answer on the line.
1. ______ He brought Israel to the Promised Land. A. Ark of the Covenant
2. ______ They attacked Israel and made life hard. B. God
3. ______ Israel rejected God as their leader. C. Israel
4. ______ God sent them to teach the people. D. enemies
5. ______ It was captured in battle. E. priests
62
Eavesdropping Pairwork
Eavesdropping means that you are listening to a conversation that you are not a part of. You are
listening to someone else’s conversation.
In this activity each pair of students will receive part of a dialogue, or conversation.
You are eavesdropping on a dialogue, but you missed the beginning of it, so you do not know
who the people are that are being talked about, or what the circumstances are. There are many
pronouns in this dialogue, but you do not know who or what they refer to.
Each pair of students must suggest an interpretation of the dialogue. What is being discussed?
Having decided on an interpretation, each pair must write a beginning to the dialogue that
explains what the pronouns are referring to and who the speakers are. Be creative!
The Dialogue
A: Whose are they?
B: How should I know? Not mine – and not hers either.
A: We found their suitcase in your apartment. They must have been there themselves.
B: This one? Are you sure it’s theirs? Anyway, it’s not my apartment, it’s his. Why don’t you
ask him?
(Penny Ur, Grammar Practice Activities. p. 265)

In the pre-reading questions you were asked to look for the main idea of the book of Judges.
After reading the overview, what do you think is the main idea?
Summarize your thoughts in 1-3 sentences.
Discuss your summaries with a partner.
How are the summaries similar, and in what ways are they different?
63
Answer key – Vocabulary Preparation for Listening and Reading
Unit 1
1. a 2. b 3. b 4. a 5. b
Unit 2
1. E 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. C
Unit 3
1. a 2. a 3. a 4. b 5. a
Unit 4
1. c 2. e 3. b 4. d 5. a 6. f
Unit 5
1. wise 2. school 3. shoes 4. box 5. food 6. water 7. limits
Unit 6
1. a 2. b 3. a 4. b
Unit 7
1. b 2. d 3. a 4. c
1. b 2. b 3. a 4. a
Unit 8
1. farm 2. death 3. meat 4. ice 5. happy 6. praise
Unit 9
1. a 2. a 3. a 4. b 5. b 6. b
Unit 10
1. a 2. b 3. a 4. a 5. b
Unit 11
1. b 2. c 3. d 4. a
Unit 12
1. a 2. b 3. b 4. b 5. b 6. a 7. b 8. a
Answer Key – Reading Exercises

Unit 1
Vocabulary
Exercise #1
1. a 2. a 3. a. 4. b 5. a 6. b
Exercise #2
1. c 2. f 3. d 4. a 5. g 6. b 7. e
1. c 2. a 3. d 4. e 5. b
Grammar
Exercise #1
1. made 2. began 3. were 4. fought 5. lost 6. had 7. led 8. gave 9. became
Exercise #2
1. God did not give Israel the victory.
2. Caleb did not lead the Canaanite army.
3. The people of Israel did not obey God.
4. Othniel did not judge Israel for 80 years.
5. The enemy of Israel did not worship the Lord.
64
Exercise #3
1. The army did not win many battles.
2. Sometimes the Israelites did not fight the Canaanites.
3. Israel did not always obey the Lord.
4. Fathers did not teach their children God’s word.
5. The people did not always bring gifts to God.
6. All of the priests did not sing songs to God.
Unit 2
Vocabulary
1. b 2. b 3. c 4. c 5. a 6. b 7. c
Exercise #1 Sentence #3
Exercise #2
1. Eglon was king of Moab.
2. Israel was not always faithful to God.
3. God sent Ehud to save the people of Israel.
4. Ehud hid his sword under his coat.
5. Ehud fought with his left hand.
6. Ehud killed the king of Moab.
7. Ehud locked the king in a room
Grammar
Exercise #1
1. Did Ehud save Israel?
2. Did Ehud hide his special sword?
3. Did King Eglon die?
4. Did Ehud call the army of Israel?
Exercise #2
1. Did the Israelites have a very hard time?
2. Did God hear their prayers?
3. Did Ehud pay taxes to King Eglon?
4. Did Ehud hide the sword under his coat?
5. Did God give Israel victory over Moab?
Unit 3
Vocabulary
1. tent 2. well-respected 3. against 4. agreed 5. message 6. celebrated 7. confused
Exercise #2
1. d 2. f 3. a 4. e 5. b 6. c
Grammar
Exercise #1
1. Appositive: a woman prophet Noun it refers to: prophetess
2. Appositive: leader of King Jabin’s army Noun it refers to: General Sisera
3. Appositive: Jael Noun it refers to: a brave woman
65
Exercise #2
1. Where did Sisera go?
2. What did God promise for Israel?
3. When did the people call to the Lord for help?
4. Who killed Sisera? or Who did Jael kill?
5. What did Barak see?
6. Who did Deborah judge? or Who judged Israel?
7. Where did Barak and Sisera fight?
8. When did Jael kill Sisera?
Unit 4
Vocabulary
Exercise #1
1. d 2. c 3. e 4. a 5. b
Exercise #2
1. b 2. a 3. c 4. b
1. Gideon 2. the Lord 3. Gideon 4. Gideon 5. the prophet 6. the angel
7. the prophet 8. the Lord 9. the angel 10. the angel
Grammar
Exercise #1
1. Go and save your people. Speaker: the angel
2. Show me a sign. Speaker: Gideon
3. Do not go away. Speaker: Gideon
4. Put the food on this rock. Speaker: the angel
5. Do not be afraid. Speaker: the Lord
Exercise #2
1. The angel told Gideon to go and save his people.
2. Gideon asked the angel to show him a sign.
3. The angel told Gideon to put the food on the rock.
4. The Lord told Gideon not to be afraid.
Unit 5
Vocabulary
1. a 2. b 3. a 4. a 5. b 6. a 7. a 8. b
Exercise #1
5, 3, 7, 6, 4, 1, 2
Exercise #2
1. They did not know what to do or where to run.
2. in a circle
3. size
4. surprise, darkness, the Lord
Grammar
1. many 2. most, many 3. some, several, a few 4. each 5. many 6. a few
Unit 6
Vocabulary
1. b 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. c 6. a 7. c 8. b
66
Exercise #1
1. He vowed to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his door as a burnt offering.
2. It refers to the first thing that comes out of the door of his house.
3. The Israelites should work together to build a strong nation.
4. The men from Gilead could pronounce the ‘sh’ in shibboleth.
5. Jephthah had many problems when he was a judge.
Exercise #2 1. M D D 2. M D D 3. D D M
Grammar
Exercise #1
1. both, and 2. either, or 3. whether, or 4. neither, nor 5. not only, but also
Exercise #2
1. Both he and his daughter knew that they had to keep the vow to God.
Jephthah, his daughter
2. The Israelites not only fought foreign enemies, but they also fought against each other.
foreign enemies, each other
3. The test was whether or not the man could pronounce the word “Shibboleth”.
could pronounce ‘Shibboleth’, could not pronounce ‘Shibboleth’
4. The Ephraimites could neither say “sh” nor “Shibboleth”.
‘sh’, ‘Shibboleth’
Unit 7
Vocabulary
1. b 2. a 3. a 4.b
Exercise #1
1. Manoah 2.the angel 3. the angel 4. Manoah 5. Manoah’s wife
6. Manoah’s wife 7.the angel
Grammar
1. ability 5. asking permission, request 9. possibility
2. certainty 6. necessity 10. necessity
3. necessity, certainty 7. request, ability, asking permission 11. certainty
4. request, possibility 8. giving permission
Unit 8
Vocabulary
1. allow 2. thirst 3. flows 4. honey 5. celebration 6. complained
Exercise #1
1. e 2. f 3. b 4. c 5. a 6. d
Exercise #2
1. He wanted to marry a Philistine girl. 3. He drank wine.
2. He touched a dead lion. 4. He complained to God.
Grammar
1. When the Philistine army was looking for Samson, he hid in a cave.
2. The Spirit of the Lord came to Samson as he was going to the Philistines.
3. While the Philistines were watching their fields burn, they decided to burn her house.
67
4. While Samson was going to Timnah, a lion ran at him.
5. While the men were drinking at the wedding, there was trouble.
Unit 9
Vocabulary
Exercise #1
1. angry 2. unsure 3. cut 4. battle 5. nose 6. put on 7. knife
Exercise #2
1. make fun of 3. grows back 5. get tired of
2. found out 4. wake up 6. cried out
Exercise #1
1. very upset
2. Samson got tired of hearing Delilah ask over and over again.
3. His hair grew back, so his strength might return.
4. These are possibilities: money, power, loyalty to her people
Exercise #2
1. DDM 2. MDD 3. DMD 4. MDD 5. DMD 6. MDD
Grammar
Linking similar ideas or adding an idea: again, and
Linking ideas that are not the same: however, in spite of
Indicating cause, purpose, or result: because, so, then, then, therefore, thus
Indicating time or position: next time, meanwhile, finally, at once, eventually
Unit 10
The Philistine rulers held a great festival in a large temple. They offered sacrifices to
their god Dagon and praised him for the victory over Samson. The temple was filled with
hundreds of people and there were three thousand more men and women sitting on the roof. The
people were drunk and called for Samson to come out and put on a show. They wanted to make
fun of him and laugh at him because he was blind. The prison guards brought Samson into the
center of the temple and placed him between the two main pillars that held up the roof.
Samson prayed to God and asked the Lord to make him strong one more time. He wanted
to get even with the Philistines for blinding his eyes. Samson put his hands on the pillars and
pushed against them. The temple fell down on the Philistine rulers, all the people and on Samson
too. Samson killed more people as he died than he had during his lifetime.
Later Samson’s brothers came and took his body to his hometown. He was buried near
his father. Samson had ruled Israel for twenty years.
Vocabulary
1. b 2. c 3. c 4. b 5. b 6. a 7. c 8. a
1. The Philistines were celebrating in the temple.
2. Samson prayed to God for strength.
3. Samson was brought to the center of the temple.
4. Samson was not able to see the Philistines.
5. Samson put his hands on the pillars.
6. When the building fell down, the Philistines were killed.
7. The prison guard brought Samson to the temple.
8. Samson was buried in his hometown.
68
Grammar
Exercise #1
1. The people sat on the roof of the temple.
2. During the festival, the people were drunk.
3. The Philistines wanted to see Samson in his chains.
4. The guard from the prison placed Samson between the pillars.
5. Samson was next to one of the big pillars.
6. God heard the prayer of Samson and gave him strength to destroy the temple.
7. The men and women of Philistia were shouting at Samson.
8. Samson died with the Philistine people.
9. His brothers came to the temple to get Samson’s body.
10. Samson was placed in the middle of the temple.
Exercise #2
1. a computer 2. a truck
Unit 11
Vocabulary
Exercise #1
1. powerful 2. sad 3. playing basketball 4. library 5. school 6. house
Exercise #2
1. b 2. c 3. c 4. c 5. a
4, 2, 6, 3, 7, 1, 5
Grammar
1. Young Samuel served in the house of the Lord. Samuel was young.
2. Samuel was a good judge. Samuel was good. or The judge was good.
3. Kings live in beautiful palaces. Palaces are beautiful.
4. The people wanted a strong army. The army was strong.
5. The Israelites were God’s special people.
The Israelites were special. or God’s people were special.
Unit 12
Vocabulary
1. b 2. d 3. e 4. a 5. c
1.b 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. b
Grammar
Exercise #1
1. his = God’s 5. them = Israelites
2. them = the people/the Israelites 6. it = Ark of the Covenant
3. their = fathers 7. this = the act of taking the Ark into battle;
4. they = enemies using the Ark for good luck
Exercise #2
1. they 3. his 5. their 7. their 9. it
2. their 4. him 6. its 8. their 10. they, it
Exercise #3
1. B 2. D 3. C 4. E 5. A
69
70

Listening Dan Reading

Transféré par

Informations du document

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Listening Dan Reading

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

ISRAEL’S JUDGES

English for Biblical Studies

Copyright © 2009 by Lynn Stapleton

Listening Section …………….. …………………………………... 4

Reading Section ………………………………………………....... 16

Unit 1 Othniel, the First Judge………………………………….…. 17

Unit 2 Ehud, a Clever Soldier …………………………………….. 21

Unit 3 Deborah, a Woman Judge ………………………………… 25

Unit 4 Gideon and the Angel …………………………………….. 29

Unit 5 Gideon’s Army …………………………………………… . 33

Unit 6 Jephthah’s Time as Judge ………………………………… 36

Unit 7 An Angel and Samson’s Parents ………………………….. 40

Unit 8 Samson’s Decisions ………………………………………. 44

Unit 9 Samson and Delilah ……………………………………… 48

Unit 10 Samson’s Final Victory ………………………………… 52

Unit 11 Samuel, the Last Judge ………………………………… 56

Unit 12 Overview ……………………………………………….. 60

Answer key ……………………………………………………… 64

Before you listen

Unit 2 Ehud, a Clever Soldier

Before you listen

Unit 4 Gideon and the Angel

Before you listen

Unit 5 Gideon’s Army

Before you listen

Unit 6 Jephthah’s Time as Judge

Before you listen

Unit 7 An Angel and Samson’s Parents

Before you listen

Unit 8 Samson’s Decisions

Before you listen

Before you listen

Before you listen

What should I be looking for?

Othniel, the First Judge

Exercise #2 Writing negative sentences in the past tense

1. victory not did God Israel give the

What happened yesterday? Pairwork

Something to think about

What are idols? What kinds of idols do you see today?

What should I be looking for?

Ehud, a Clever Soldier

Exercise #2 Find the mistake

Something to think about

What do I already know?

What should I be looking for?

Deborah, a Woman Judge

Exercise #2 Who did what?

Find Someone Who… Class mingle

Find someone who… Name

has the same favorite food as you ____________________

can remember when they last went to the cinema ____________________

has the same favorite book in the Bible as you ____________________

lives nearest you ____________________

knows the date of the next public holiday ____________________

wakes up at the same time as you ____________________

Something to think about

What do I already know?

What should I be looking for as I read?

Gideon and the Angel

1.________“How can I save Israel?” 6.________“Go and save your people.”

There are six imperative sentences in this story.

Exercise #2 Indirect Speech for commands and requests

What am I saying? Whole class activity

1.“How can I save Israel?” 6.“Go and save your people.”