Judges

Judges covers the turbulent centuries between the conquest and the monarchy, when 'there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.' It follows a grim spiral: the people fall into idolatry, are oppressed by their enemies, cry out, and are rescued by a God-raised deliverer — only to fall again.

Its 'judges' are colourful and flawed — Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson — and the book grows darker toward its end. Judges is an unflinching portrait of a people without faithful leadership, and it leaves the reader longing for the king its final chapters say Israel lacked.