Among this army<n id="1" /> were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers.<n id="2" /> Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target.<n id="3" />

The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they<n id="1" /> arranged their battle lines against Gibeah.

Then the Benjaminites said, &#8220;They are defeated just as before.&#8221; But the Israelites said, &#8220;Let&#8217;s retreat<n id="1" /> and lure them<n id="2" /> away from the city into the main roads.&#8221;

The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash<n id="1" /> to Gibeah. They<n id="2" /> attacked<n id="3" /> and put the sword to the entire city.

They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook<n id="1" /> them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down.<n id="2" />

Six hundred survivors turned and ran away to the wilderness, to the cliff of Rimmon. They stayed there four months.

So the people came to Bethel<n id="1" /> and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed.<n id="1" />

The <sc>Lordsc> spoke to Gideon again, &#8220;There are still too many men.<n id="1" /> Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more.<n id="2" /> When I say, &#8216;This one should go with you,&#8217; pick him to go;<n id="3" /> when I say,<n id="4" /> &#8216;This one should not go with you,&#8217; do not take him.&#8221;<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">They were having a good time,<n id="1" /> when suddenly<n id="2" /> some men of the city, some good-for-nothings,<n id="3" /> surrounded the house and kept beating<n id="4" /> on the door. They said to the old man who owned the house, &#8220;Send out the man who came to visit you so we can have sex with him.&#8221;<n id="5" />

That entire generation passed away;<n id="1" /> a new generation grew up<n id="2" /> that had not personally experienced the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence or seen what he had done for Israel.<n id="3" />p>

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" />

<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>

he<n id="1" /> ordered<n id="2" /> all his chariotry &#8211; nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels &#8211; and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon.

Deborah said to Barak, &#8220;Spring into action,<n id="1" /> for this is the day the <sc>Lordsc> is handing Sisera over to you!<n id="2" /> Has the <sc>Lordsc> not taken the lead?&#8221;<n id="3" /> Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.

<p class="bodytext">Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor<n id="1" /> and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty.<n id="2" />

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" />

<p class="bodytext">Gideon went and prepared a young goat,<n id="1" /> along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food<n id="2" /> to him under the oak tree and presented it to him.