<t /><p class="bodytext">When the men<n id="1" /> of Joseph attacked<n id="2" /> Bethel,<n id="3" /> the <sc>Lordsc> was with them.

They took the Canaanites&#8217; daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites;<n id="1" /> they worshiped<n id="2" /> their gods as well.p>

Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!&#8221;<n id="1" />

In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.<n id="1" />p>

The Israelites asked the <sc>Lordsc> (for the ark of God&#8217;s covenant was there in those days;

In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.<n id="1" />p>

He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair<n id="1" /> &#8211; they are in the land of Gilead.<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place<n id="1" /> to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel.<n id="2" />

As they approached<n id="1" /> Micah&#8217;s house, they recognized the accent<n id="2" /> of the young Levite. So they stopped<n id="3" /> there and said to him, &#8220;Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?&#8221;<n id="4" />

Joshua left those nations<n id="1" /> to test<n id="2" /> Israel. I wanted to see<n id="3" /> whether or not the people<n id="4" /> would carefully walk in the path<n id="5" /> marked out by<n id="6" /> the <sc>Lordsc>, as their ancestors<n id="7" /> were careful to do.&#8221;

When they invaded<n id="1" /> with their cattle and tents, they were as thick<n id="2" /> as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted.<n id="3" /> They came to devour<n id="4" /> the land.

He said, &#8220;They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear,<n id="1" /> as surely as the <sc>Lordsc> is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.&#8221;

Gideon continued,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.&#8221;<n id="2" /> (The Midianites<n id="3" /> had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

After they had gone a good distance from Micah&#8217;s house, Micah&#8217;s neighbors<n id="1" /> gathered together and caught up with the Danites.

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>

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;

Ten thousand men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, then made a frontal assault against Gibeah &#8211; the battle was fierce.<n id="1" /> But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep.<n id="2" />

He said to the men of Succoth, &#8220;Give<n id="1" /> some loaves of bread to the men<n id="2" /> who are following me,<n id="3" /> because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and murdered thirty men. He took their clothes<n id="1" /> and gave them<n id="2" /> to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">So the five men journeyed on<n id="1" /> and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there<n id="2" /> were living securely, like the Sidonians do,<n id="3" /> undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way.<n id="4" /> They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.<n id="5" />