I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt down when I intervened in their land. Then I brought you out.

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

So Abimelech and all his men came up at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into four units.

Abimelech chased him, and Gaal ran from him. Many Shechemites fell wounded at the entrance of the gate.

The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, if we do not do as you say.”

Jephthah led Israel for six years; then he died and was buried in his city in Gilead.

The Lord’s messenger said to him, “You should not ask me my name, because you cannot comprehend it.”

Samson said to them, “Because you did this, I will get revenge against you before I quit fighting.”

He said to his servant, “Come on, we will go into one of the other towns and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”

So they traveled on, and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.

When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep.

Again they wept loudly. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung tightly to her.

But she replied to them, “Don’t call me ‘Naomi’! Call me ‘Mara’ because the Sovereign One has treated me very harshly.

So she gathered grain in the field until evening. When she threshed what she had gathered, it came to about thirty pounds of barley!

Now Hannah was speaking from her heart. Although her lips were moving, her voice was inaudible. Eli therefore thought she was drunk.

So he said to her, “How often do you intend to get drunk? Put away your wine!”

This man Elkanah went up with all his family to make the yearly sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow,

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord; the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

Then the men of Israel left Mizpah and chased the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth Car.

We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us and fight our battles.”