When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard the news, they went to the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith.

The Lord’s messenger told Manoah, “Your wife should pay attention to everything I told her.

The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, “No, my brothers! Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don’t do such a disgraceful thing!

So Israel hid men in ambush outside Gibeah.

So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” He said, “Yes.”

However, she got angry at him and went home to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months,

The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before.

Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated. The Israelites retreated before Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah.

Abimelech moved on to Thebez; he besieged and captured it.

So the Israelites marched toward the Benjaminites the next day.

Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.”

So they asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering.

From there they attacked the people of Debir. (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.)

When the men of Joseph attacked Bethel, the Lord was with them.

When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel (it used to be called Luz),

Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian,

The Lord said to him, “You are safe! Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!”

Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, as you promised, then give me a sign as proof.

But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant