<p class="bodytext">So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported<n id="1" /> to him the words of Balak.

<p class="bodytext">Then God met Balaam, who<n id="1" /> said to him, &#8220;I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.&#8221;

When Balaam<n id="1" /> came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, &#8220;What has the <sc>Lordsc> spoken?&#8221;p>

You must not give in to him or even listen to him; do not feel sympathy for him or spare him or cover up for him.

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> will allow you to be struck down before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions and will become an object of terror<n id="1" /> to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Then the <sc>Lordsc> said to him, &#8220;This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, &#8216;I will give it to your descendants.&#8217;<n id="1" /> I have let you see it,<n id="2" /> but you will not cross over there.&#8221;p>

They came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, &#8220;We have come from a distant land. Make a treaty with us.&#8221;

They told him, &#8220;Your subjects<n id="1" /> have come from a very distant land because of the reputation<n id="2" /> of the <sc>Lordsc> your God, for we have heard the news about all he did in Egypt<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out they were from the local area and lived nearby.<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Joshua was very old,<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> told him, &#8220;You are very old, and a great deal of land remains to be conquered.

Eglon formed alliances with<n id="1" /> the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees.

Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, &#8220;Stop and rest,<n id="1" /> my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don&#8217;t be afraid.&#8221; So Sisera<n id="2" /> stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him.

Then the <sc>Lordsc> himself<n id="1" /> turned to him and said, &#8220;You have the strength.<n id="2" /> Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites!<n id="3" /> Have I not sent you?&#8221;

Gideon<n id="1" /> said to him, &#8220;But Lord,<n id="2" /> how<n id="3" /> can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.&#8221;<n id="4" />

Gideon<n id="1" /> said to him, &#8220;If you really are pleased with me,<n id="2" /> then give me<n id="3" /> a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me.

God&#8217;s messenger said to him, &#8220;Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock,<n id="1" /> and pour out the broth.&#8221; Gideon did as instructed.<n id="2" />

He captured a young man from Succoth<n id="1" /> and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth&#8217;s officials and city leaders &#8211; seventy-seven men in all.<n id="2" />

The woman ran at once and told her husband,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Come quickly,<n id="2" /> the man who visited<n id="3" /> me the other day has appeared to me!&#8221;

So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him, &#8220;The Philistines are here,<n id="1" /> Samson!&#8221; (The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.)<n id="2" /> But he tore the ropes<n id="3" /> from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.p>

So she made him go to sleep, wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric on the loom, fastened it with the pin, and said to him, &#8220;The Philistines are here,<n id="1" /> Samson!&#8221;<n id="2" /> He woke up<n id="3" /> and tore away the pin of the loom and the fabric.p>