The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’

Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men you insulted? Go out now and fight them!”

Her father said, “I really thought you absolutely despised her, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her instead!”

She said, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” He woke up and thought, “I will do as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him.

The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite grabbed his concubine and made her go outside. They raped her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn.

Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.

They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; they worshiped their gods as well.

Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him; Deborah went up with him as well.

The Lord said to him, “Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.”

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

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

Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites.

He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel for eight years.

Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew and the Lord empowered him.

Then Samson’s father accompanied him to Timnah for the marriage. Samson hosted a party there, for this was customary for bridegrooms to do.

Samson said to them, “This time I am justified in doing the Philistines harm!”

Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and went in to have sex with her.

Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates.

Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up food scraps under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.

Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent, and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead with the tent peg in his temple.