The Midianites<n id="1" /> overwhelmed Israel.<n id="2" /> Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters<n id="3" /> for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds.

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.

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Jotham heard the news,<n id="1" /> he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!p>

She then said to her father, &#8220;Please grant me this one wish.<n id="1" /> For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.&#8221;<n id="2" />

Samson spent half the night with the prostitute; then he got up in the middle of the night and left.<n id="1" /> He grabbed the doors of the city gate, as well as the two posts, and pulled them right off, bar and all.<n id="2" /> He put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill east of Hebron.<n id="3" />p>

The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives,<n id="1" /> capable men<n id="2" /> from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, &#8220;Go, explore the land.&#8221; They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah&#8217;s house.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite<n id="1" /> living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine<n id="2" /> from Bethlehem<n id="3" /> in Judah.

<p class="bodytext">But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field.<n id="1" /> The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.)<n id="2" />

The Levite<n id="1" /> said to him, &#8220;We are traveling from Bethlehem<n id="2" /> in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That&#8217;s where I&#8217;m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I&#8217;m heading home.<n id="3" /> But no one has invited me into their home.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, &#8220;Go down and head off the Midianites.<n id="1" /> Take control of the fords of the streams<n id="2" /> all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.&#8221;<n id="3" /> When all the Ephraimites had assembled,<n id="4" /> they took control of the fords<n id="5" /> all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.

He and all his men<n id="1" /> went up on Mount Zalmon. He<n id="2" /> took an ax<n id="3" /> in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it<n id="4" /> on his shoulder and said to his men, &#8220;Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!&#8221;<n id="5" />