<p class="poetry">The wisest of her ladies<n id="1" /> answer;p> <p class="poetry">indeed she even thinks to herself,p>

<p class="bodytext">Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass<n id="1" /> of Heres.

He also threatened<n id="1" /> the men of Penuel, warning,<n id="2" /> &#8220;When I return victoriously,<n id="3" /> I will tear down this tower.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers.<n id="1" />

When the man got ready to leave,<n id="1" /> his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night.<n id="2" />

Now, announce to the men,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Whoever is shaking with fear<n id="2" /> may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" /> Twenty-two thousand men<n id="4" /> went home;<n id="5" /> ten thousand remained.

When he gave back to his mother the eleven hundred pieces of silver, his mother said, &#8220;I solemnly dedicate<n id="1" /> this silver to the <sc>Lordsc>. It will be for my son&#8217;s benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image.&#8221;<n id="2" />

When a leader died, the next generation<n id="1" /> would again<n id="2" /> act more wickedly than the previous one.<n id="3" /> They would follow after other gods, worshiping them<n id="4" /> and bowing down to them. They did not give up<n id="5" /> their practices or their stubborn ways.p>

Do not leave this place until I come back<n id="1" /> with a gift<n id="2" /> and present it to you.&#8221; The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;I will stay here until you come back.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith<n id="1" /> their god.

God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell<n id="1" /> on them.p>

then whoever is the first to come through<n id="1" /> the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites &#8211; he<n id="2" /> will belong to the <sc>Lordsc> and<n id="3" /> I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.&#8221;

Some time later, when he went back to marry<n id="1" /> her, he turned aside to see the lion&#8217;s remains. He saw<n id="2" /> a swarm of bees in the lion&#8217;s carcass, as well as some honey.

When he gave the silver back to his mother, she<n id="1" /> took two hundred pieces of silver<n id="2" /> to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah&#8217;s house.<n id="3" />

The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized<n id="1" /> they were too strong to resist,<n id="2" /> he turned around and went home.p>

The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites<n id="1" /> gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around.<n id="2" />p>

But he went back<n id="1" /> once he reached<n id="2" /> the carved images<n id="3" /> at Gilgal. He said to Eglon,<n id="4" /> &#8220;I have a secret message for you, O king.&#8221; Eglon<n id="5" /> said, &#8220;Be quiet!&#8221;<n id="6" /> All his attendants left.

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God.<n id="1" /> Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, &#8220;Get up, for the <sc>Lordsc> is handing the Midianite army over to you!&#8221;

The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, &#8220;That may be true,<n id="1" /> but now we pledge to you our loyalty.<n id="2" /> Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader<n id="3" /> of all who live in Gilead.&#8221;<n id="4" />

Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, &#8220;All right!<n id="1" /> If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the <sc>Lordsc> gives them to me,<n id="2" /> I will be your leader.&#8221;<n id="3" />