But they did not obey<n id="1" /> their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped<n id="2" /> them. They quickly turned aside from the path<n id="3" /> their ancestors<n id="4" /> had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s commands, but they did not.<n id="5" />

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" />

But he went back<n id="1" /> once he reached<n id="2" /> the carved images<n id="3" /> at Gilgal. He said to Eglon,<n id="4" /> &#8220;I have a secret message for you, O king.&#8221; Eglon<n id="5" /> said, &#8220;Be quiet!&#8221;<n id="6" /> All his attendants left.

The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff.<n id="1" /> Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger then disappeared.<n id="2" />p>

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.

So he brought the men<n id="1" /> down to the water. Then the <sc>Lordsc> said to Gideon, &#8220;Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.&#8221;<n id="2" />

The thornbush said to the trees, &#8216;If you really want to choose<n id="1" /> me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches!<n id="2" /> Otherwise<n id="3" /> may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!&#8217;p>

<p class="bodytext">When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out<n id="1" /> to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines.<n id="2" /> She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter.

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" />

He had thirty sons. He arranged for thirty of his daughters to be married outside his extended family,<n id="1" /> and he arranged for thirty young women to be brought from outside as wives for his sons.<n id="2" /> Ibzan<n id="3" /> led<n id="4" /> Israel for seven years;

Look, you will conceive and have a son.<n id="1" /> You must never cut his hair,<n id="2" /> for the child will be dedicated to God<n id="3" /> from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from the power<n id="4" /> of the Philistines.&#8221;p>

He said to me, &#8216;Look, you will conceive and have a son.<n id="1" /> So now, do not drink wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean.<n id="2" /> For the child will be dedicated<n id="3" /> to God from birth till the day he dies.&#8217;&#8221;p>

They said to him, &#8220;We promise!<n id="1" /> We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them. We promise not to kill you.&#8221; They tied him up with two brand new ropes and led him up from the cliff.

So God split open the basin<n id="1" /> at Lehi and water flowed out from it. When he took a drink, his strength<n id="2" /> was restored and he revived. For this reason he named the spring<n id="3" /> En Hakkore.<n id="4" /> It remains in Lehi to this very day.

Finally he told her his secret.<n id="1" /> He said to her, &#8220;My hair has never been cut,<n id="2" /> for I have been dedicated to God<n id="3" /> from the time I was conceived.<n id="4" /> If my head<n id="5" /> were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be just like all other men.&#8221;

The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down eighteen thousand sword-wielding Israelite soldiers.<n id="1" />p>

The Benjaminites attacked<n id="1" /> the army, leaving the city unguarded.<n id="2" /> They began to strike down their enemy<n id="3" /> just as they had done before. On the main roads (one leads to Bethel,<n id="4" /> the other to Gibeah) and in the field, they struck down<n id="5" /> about thirty Israelites.

The rest<n id="1" /> turned and ran toward the wilderness, heading toward the cliff of Rimmon. But the Israelites<n id="2" /> caught<n id="3" /> five thousand of them on the main roads. They stayed right on their heels<n id="4" /> all the way to Gidom and struck down two thousand more.

and keep your eyes open.<n id="1" /> When you see<n id="2" /> the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration,<n id="3" /> jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land of Benjamin.

<p class="bodytext">The Benjaminites did as instructed.<n id="1" /> They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives.<n id="2" /> They went home<n id="3" /> to their own territory,<n id="4" /> rebuilt their cities, and settled down.<n id="5" />