The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and token of peace. ¹ 

Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor ¹  and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty. ² 

So all the Israelites, the whole army, ¹  went up to ²  Bethel. ³  They wept and sat there before the Lord; they did not eat anything ⁴  that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace ⁵  to the Lord.

The priest said to them, “Go with confidence. ¹  The Lord will be with you on your mission.” ² 

The Lord said to him, “You are safe! ¹  Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!”

Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” ¹  To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed. ¹ 

The old man said, “Everything is just fine! ¹  I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.”

He also threatened ¹  the men of Penuel, warning, ²  “When I return victoriously, ³  I will tear down this tower.”

The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.

then whoever is the first to come through ¹  the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he ²  will belong to the Lord and ³  I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.”

The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. ¹  The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. ² 

May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord! But may those who love you shine like the rising sun at its brightest!” ¹  And the land had rest for forty years.

Now the Danites ¹  took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. ² 

She nagged him ¹  every day and pressured him until he was sick to death of it. ² 

They stopped ¹  there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah), ²  and asked him how he was doing. ³ 

She cried on his shoulder ¹  until the party was almost over. ²  Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. ³  Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle. ⁴ 

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

They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser ¹  and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?” ²