The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite<n id="1" /> grabbed his concubine and made her go outside.<n id="2" /> They raped<n id="3" /> her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn.

Everyone who saw the sight<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since<n id="2" /> the Israelites left the land of Egypt!<n id="3" /> Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!&#8221;p>

The Israelites went up and wept before the <sc>Lordsc> until evening. They asked the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;Should we<n id="1" /> again march out to fight<n id="2" /> the Benjaminites, our brothers?&#8221;<n id="3" /> The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;Attack them!&#8221;<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">So all the Israelites, the whole army,<n id="1" /> went up to<n id="2" /> Bethel.<n id="3" /> They wept and sat there before the <sc>Lordsc>; they did not eat anything<n id="4" /> that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace<n id="5" /> to the <sc>Lordsc>.

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.

surely you would not want to wait until they were old enough to marry!<n id="1" /> Surely you would not remain unmarried all that time!<n id="2" /> No,<n id="3" /> my daughters, you must not return with me.<n id="4" /> For my intense suffering<n id="5" /> is too much for you to bear.<n id="6" /> For the <sc>Lordsc> is afflicting me!&#8221;<n id="7" />p>

Ruth the Moabite replied, &#8220;He even<n id="1" /> told me, &#8216;You may go along beside my servants<n id="2" /> until they have finished gathering all my harvest!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />

Remain here tonight. Then in the morning, if he agrees to marry you,<n id="1" /> fine,<n id="2" /> let him do so.<n id="3" /> But if he does not want to do so, I promise, as surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives, to marry you.<n id="4" /> Sleep here until morning.&#8221;<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Therefore the <sc>Lordsc>, the God of Israel, says, &#8216;I really did say<n id="1" /> that your house and your ancestor&#8217;s house would serve<n id="2" /> me forever.&#8217; But now the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;May it never be!<n id="3" /> For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed!

You<n id="1" /> should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of<n id="2" /> the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God,<n id="3" /> and he did not rebuke them.

<p class="bodytext">But after it had been moved the <sc>Lordsc> attacked<n id="1" /> that city as well, causing a great deal of panic. He struck all the people of that city<n id="2" /> with sores.<n id="3" />

Then the cows went directly on the road to Beth Shemesh. They went along, mooing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the Philistines were walking along behind them all the way to the border of Beth Shemesh.p>

<p class="bodytext">Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen.<n id="1" /> He named it Ebenezer,<n id="2" /> saying, &#8220;Up to here the <sc>Lordsc> has helped us.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The cities that the Philistines had captured from Israel were returned to Israel, from Ekron to Gath. Israel also delivered their territory from the control<n id="1" /> of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

Just as they have done<n id="1" /> from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you.

When you enter the town, you can find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people won&#8217;t eat until he arrives, for he must bless the sacrifice. Once that happens, those who have been invited will eat. Now go on up, for<n id="1" /> this is the time when you can find him!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;As you continue on from there, you will come to the tall tree of Tabor. At that point three men who are going up to God at Bethel<n id="1" /> will meet you. One of them will be carrying three young goats, one of them will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and one of them will be carrying a container of wine.

You will go down to Gilgal before me. I am going to join you there to offer burnt offerings and to make peace offerings. You should wait for seven days, until I arrive and tell you what to do.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">The next day Saul placed the people in three groups. They went to the Ammonite camp during the morning watch and struck them<n id="1" /> down until the hottest part of the day. The survivors scattered; no two of them remained together.p>

So all the people went to Gilgal, where<n id="1" /> they established Saul as king in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.p>