But if you do not agree to our terms<n id="1" /> by being circumcised, then we will take<n id="2" /> our sister<n id="3" /> and depart.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Then your servant my father said to us, &#8216;You know that my wife gave me two sons.<n id="1" />

We must go<n id="1" /> on a three-day journey<n id="2" /> into the desert and sacrifice<n id="3" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> our God, just as he is telling us.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> our God spoke to us at Horeb and said, &#8220;You have stayed<n id="1" /> in the area of this mountain long enough.

Let&#8217;s move the ark of our God back here,<n id="1" /> for we did not seek his will<n id="2" /> throughout Saul&#8217;s reign.&#8221;<n id="3" />

They say, &#8220;Let&#8217;s attack Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it.<n id="1" /> Then we&#8217;ll set up the son of Tabeel as its king.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">All of them respond to you, saying:p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;You too have become weak like us!p> <p class="poetry">You have become just like us!p>

&#8220;We will not listen to what you claim the <sc>Lordsc> has spoken to us!<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">They said to one other,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Surely we&#8217;re being punished<n id="2" /> because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was<n id="3" /> when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress<n id="4" /> has come on us!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, &#8220;Do not abandon<n id="1" /> your subjects!<n id="2" /> Rescue us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings living in the hill country are attacking us.&#8221;<n id="3" />

They shouted to Lot,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex<n id="2" /> with them!&#8221;p>

But if you will not send him, we won&#8217;t go down there because the man said to us, &#8216;You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.&#8217;&#8221;p>

For we will not accept any inheritance on the other side of the Jordan River<n id="1" /> and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.&#8221;p>

Then they took<n id="1" /> some of the produce of the land and carried it back down to us. They also brought a report to us, saying, &#8220;The land that the <sc>Lordsc> our God is about to give us is good.&#8221;p>

If they say to us, &#8216;Stay put until we approach you,&#8217; we will stay<n id="1" /> right there and not go up to them.

The messenger said to David, &#8220;The men overpowered us and attacked us<n id="1" /> in the field. But we forced them to retreat all the way<n id="2" /> to the door of the city gate.

Let&#8217;s make a small private upper room<n id="1" /> and furnish it with<n id="2" /> a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.&#8221;p>

Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God will fight for us!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely,<n id="1" /> in addition to those who came to us from the nations<n id="2" /> all around us.

<p class="poetry">O <sc>Lordsc>, my God, you have accomplished many things;p> <p class="poetry">you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">No one can thwart you!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I want to declare them and talk about them,p> <p class="poetry">but they are too numerous to recount!<n id="3" />p>