When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.<n id="1" />p>

He led<n id="1" /> Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.p>

<p class="bodytext">Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years.

The <sc>Lordsc> was furious with Israel<n id="1" /> and turned them over to<n id="2" /> the Philistines and Ammonites.

They threw away the foreign gods they owned<n id="1" /> and worshiped<n id="2" /> the <sc>Lordsc>. Finally the <sc>Lordsc> grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much.<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The Ammonites assembled<n id="1" /> and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah.

When they left<n id="1" /> Egypt, Israel traveled<n id="2" /> through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh.

Every year<n id="1" /> Israelite women commemorate<n id="2" /> the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days.<n id="3" />p>

Jephthah led<n id="1" /> Israel for six years; then he<n id="2" /> died and was buried in his city in Gilead.<n id="3" />p>

In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.<n id="1" />p>

All you Israelites,<n id="1" /> make a decision here!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies.<n id="1" />p>

The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah<n id="1" /> to make war against the Israelites.

The Israelites asked the <sc>Lordsc> (for the ark of God&#8217;s covenant was there in those days;

The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush<n id="1" /> sent up a smoke signal from the city,

When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked<n id="1" /> because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep.<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, &#8220;Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The people regretted what had happened to<n id="1" /> Benjamin because the <sc>Lordsc> had weakened<n id="2" /> the Israelite tribes.

In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.<n id="1" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> was furious with Israel<n id="1" /> and turned them over to<n id="2" /> King Cushan-Rishathaim<n id="3" /> of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim&#8217;s subjects<n id="4" /> for eight years.