When the Israelites cried out for help to the <sc>Lordsc>, he<n id="1" /> raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued<n id="2" /> them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb&#8217;s younger brother.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The Israelites again did evil in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight.<n id="1" /> The <sc>Lordsc> gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel<n id="2" /> because they had done evil in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight.

<p class="bodytext">When the Israelites cried out for help to the <sc>Lordsc>, he<n id="1" /> raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man.<n id="2" /> The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment.<n id="3" />

The Israelites cried out for help to the <sc>Lordsc>, because Sisera<n id="1" /> had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,<n id="2" /> and he cruelly<n id="3" /> oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.p>

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.

he<n id="1" /> sent a prophet<n id="2" /> to the Israelites. He said to them, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel says: &#8216;I brought you up from Egypt<n id="3" /> and took you out of that place of slavery.<n id="4" />

They ruthlessly oppressed<n id="1" /> the Israelites that eighteenth year<n id="2" /> &#8211; that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead.

Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, &#8220;Please allow us<n id="1" /> to pass through your land.&#8221; But the king of Edom rejected the request.<n id="2" /> Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate.<n id="3" /> So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

<t /><p class="bodytext">In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place<n id="1" /> to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel.<n id="2" />

We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army.<n id="1" /> When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel.&#8221;<n id="2" />

Now, hand over the good-for-nothings<n id="1" /> in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.&#8221;<n id="2" /> But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers.

The <sc>Lordsc> annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites.<n id="1" />

the Israelites counterattacked.<n id="1" /> Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites;<n id="2" /> they struck down<n id="3" /> about thirty men. They said, &#8220;There&#8217;s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.&#8221;

The Israelites asked, &#8220;Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled before the <sc>Lordsc>?&#8221; They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble before the <sc>Lordsc> at Mizpah must certainly be executed.<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">After Joshua died, the Israelites asked<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">When the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.<n id="1" />

Joshua left those nations<n id="1" /> to test<n id="2" /> Israel. I wanted to see<n id="3" /> whether or not the people<n id="4" /> would carefully walk in the path<n id="5" /> marked out by<n id="6" /> the <sc>Lordsc>, as their ancestors<n id="7" /> were careful to do.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">These were the nations the <sc>Lordsc> permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel &#8211; he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites.<n id="1" />

He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war.<n id="1" />

They were left to test Israel, so the <sc>Lordsc> would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses.<n id="1" />p>