The book of Judges marks an important transition in the life of Israel. It shows the cycle of deviancy and repentance, heroic actions and social collapse, the misuse of power and the marginalization of God. This commentary seeks to help readers navigate the many strange stories and characters of Judges by providing an overall framework for reading it and by explaining a way of entering its stories so that they can be appropriated in an Asian context. This commentary challenges the reader to pray and work for a spiritual revitalization, building a new social fabric in a world marked by injustice, pragmatism, and the loss of a God-centered way of life. --From publisher's description.

Judges 1:1-3:6 : grappling with failure --
Judges 3:7-31 : the role of individual deliverers --
Judges 4:1-5:31 : partnership and solidarity in God's work --
Judges 6:1-8:29 : the use of power : empowerment, abuse, and violence --
Judges 8:30-9:57 : the pitfalls of power --
Judges 10:6-12:7 : the marginalization of Yahweh --
Judges 13:1-16:31 : reversal of expectations --
Judges 17-18 : the domestication of God : gods, gold, and goons --
Judges 19:1-20:7 : when home becomes unsafe --
Judges 20:1-21:25 : a society that has gone awry.