The <sc>Lordsc> said to the Israelites, &#8220;Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,

But the Israelites said to the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit,<n id="1" /> but deliver us today!&#8221;<n id="2" />

So Jephthah left<n id="1" /> his half-brothers<n id="2" /> and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah&#8217;s gang and traveled with him.<n id="3" />p>

The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> will judge any grievance you have against us,<n id="1" /> if we do not do as you say.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, &#8220;Why have<n id="1" /> you come against me to attack my land?&#8221;

Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, &#8220;Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.&#8221;<n id="1" />

The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s angelic<n id="1" /> messenger appeared to the woman and said to her, &#8220;You<n id="2" /> are infertile and childless,<n id="3" /> but you will conceive and have a son.

God answered Manoah&#8217;s prayer.<n id="1" /> God&#8217;s angelic messenger visited<n id="2" /> the woman again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her.

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. After all this happened Manoah realized that the visitor had been the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">So Delilah said to Samson, &#8220;Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can be subdued and humiliated.&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Delilah said to Samson, &#8220;Look, you deceived<n id="1" /> me and told me lies! Now tell me how you can be subdued.&#8221;

Samson said to the young man who held his hand, &#8220;Position me so I can touch the pillars that support the temple.<n id="1" /> Then I can lean on them.&#8221;

The Danites said to him, &#8220;Don&#8217;t say another word to us, or some very angry men<n id="1" /> will attack you, and you and your family will die.&#8221;<n id="2" />

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>

On the fourth day they woke up early and the Levite got ready to leave.<n id="1" /> But the girl&#8217;s father said to his son-in-law, &#8220;Have a bite to eat for some energy,<n id="2" /> then you can go.&#8221;

So the two of them sat down and had a meal together.<n id="1" /> Then the girl&#8217;s father said to the man, &#8220;Why not stay another night and have a good time!&#8221;<n id="2" />

But his master said to him, &#8220;We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live.<n id="1" /> We will travel on to Gibeah.&#8221;

The old man said, &#8220;Everything is just fine!<n id="1" /> I will take care of all your needs. But don&#8217;t spend the night in the town square.&#8221;

When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces.<n id="1" /> Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel.<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba<n id="1" /> and from the land of Gilead<n id="2" /> left their homes<n id="3" /> and assembled together<n id="4" /> before the <sc>Lordsc> at Mizpah.