And the answer pleased the children of Israel well, and they praised God, and did not intend to go against them in battle, to destroy the land which the children of Ruben and Gad dwelt in.

And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed, because it is a witness between us, that the LORD is God.

And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations before your faces: for the LORD your God he fought for you.

And the LORD your God shall expel and cast them out before you, and ye shall conquer their lands, as the LORD your God hath said unto you.

But that ye stick fast unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.

One of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God he fighteth for you, as he hath said unto you.

Take good heed therefore unto your souls, that ye love the LORD your God.

be sure that the LORD your God will not cast out all these nations before you. But they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges for your sides, and pricks in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

Behold, I walk this day, by the way of all the world: call ye to mind in all your hearts and in all your souls, that nothing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God promised you. All are come to pass, and nothing hath failed thereof.

And as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you: so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil until he have destroyed you from off this good land, which the LORD your God hath given you

when ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you: and have gone and served strange gods, and bowed yourselves to them. Then shall the wrath of the LORD wax hot upon you, and ye shall perish quickly, from off the good land which he hath given you."

And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for elders of Israel, and for their heads, judges and officers which presented themselves before God.

And Joshua said unto all the people, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel, 'Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the water in old time even Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, and served strange gods.

And the people answered and said, "God forbid that we should forsake the LORD and serve strange gods.

For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage, and which did those miracles in our sight, and preserved us in all the way we went and among all the nations which we came through.

And the LORD did cast out before us all the nations with the Amorites which dwelt in the land, wherefore we will serve the LORD - for he is our God."

But Joshua said unto the people, "Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is a holy God and cannot bear your transgression and sin.

But when ye have forsaken the LORD and have served strange gods, he will turn and do you evil and consume you, after that he hath done you good."

"Then put away," said he, "the strange gods which are among you, and bow your hearts unto the LORD God of Israel."

And the people answered Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve and his voice we will obey."

And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone and pitched it on end in the said place, even under an oak that stood in the sanctuary of the LORD.

And Joshua said unto all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake with us. It shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye lie unto your God."

But Adonibezek fled, and they followed after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

Then Adonibezek said, "Three score and ten kings having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table wherefore as I have done so God hath done to me again." And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

and forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed strange gods, even of the gods of the nations that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and angered the LORD.

And so the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served Baalim and Asheroth.

And Ehud came in unto him in a summer parlor, of which he had several unto himself alone, and said, "I have a message unto thee from God." And he arose out of his seat.

But Ehud gat him out at the back door, and put to the door after him, and locked it.

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam, out of Kadesh in Naphtali, and said unto him, "The LORD God of Israel commandeth thee, that thou go and draw to mount Tabor and take with thee ten thousand men, of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun.

And so God brought Jabin the king of Canaan into subjection that day, before the children of Israel.

Hear kings and hearken lords, I will sing, and give praise unto the LORD God, of Israel.

the mountains melted before the LORD, even mount Sinai before the LORD God of Israel.

"God chose new fashions of war, for when they had war at their gates: there was not seen, among forty thousand, either shield or spear in Israel.

the LORD sent a prophet unto them, and said unto them, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel: I fetched you from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage

And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God, and therefore fear not the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed my voice."

And Gideon went and made ready a kid, and sweet cakes of an Ephah of flour, and put the flesh in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak and presented it.

And the angel of God said unto him, "Take the flesh and the sweet cakes and put them upon this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so.

And the same night the LORD said unto him, "Take an ox of thy father's and another of seven years old, and destroy the altar of Baal that belongeth unto thy father, and cut down the grove that is about it,

and make an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock and furnish it. And take the second ox and offer burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove, which thou shalt have cut down."

When the men of the city were up early in the morning: Behold the altar of Baal was broken, and the grove that stood about it cut down. And the second ox offered upon the altar that was made.

Then the men of the city said unto Joash, "Bring out thy son that he may die, because he hath broken the altar of Baal, and cut down the grove that was about it."

And Joash said unto all that stood by him, "Will ye fight for Baal, or will ye be his defenders? He that striveth for him shall die this morning. If he be a god, let him strive with him that cast down his altar!"

And Gideon said unto God, "If thou wilt save Israel by my hand as thou hast said:

And Gideon said unto God, "Be not angry with me, that I speak once more; let me prove only once again with the fleece. Let it be dry only upon the fleece, and dew upon all the ground about."

And God did so that same night: so that it was dry upon the fleece only, and on all the ground about, dew.

Now therefore make a proclamation in the ears of the people and say, 'If any man dread or be afraid, let him return and get him soon from mount Gilead.'" And there departed and returned of the people twenty two thousand, and there abode ten thousand.

And his fellow answered and said, this is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel, into whose hand God hath delivered Midian and all the host."

And the men of Ephraim said unto him, "Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledest us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites?" And they chode with him a good.

God hath delivered into your hands the lords of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do like as you have done?" And then their spirits abated from off him, when he had said that.

And Gideon the son of Joash died, when he was of a good age, and was buried in the burial of Joash his father, even in Ophrah that pertained unto the father of the Abiezrites.

But as soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned away and went a whoring after Baal, and made Baalberith their God,

and thought not on the LORD their God which had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side.

And when it was told Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lift up his voice and called, and said unto them, "Hearken unto me you citizens of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

But the olive tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my fatness which both God and man praiseth in me, and go to be promoted over the trees?'

And the fig tree answered them, 'Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and should go to be promoted over the trees?'

And the vine answered, 'Should I leave my wine that cheereth both God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?'

But, if ye have not dealt truly, then I pray God a fire may come out of Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and the house of Mello. And that there come a fire out of the citizens of Shechem, and out of the house of Mello and consume Abimelech."

God sent a hate between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. And the citizens of Shechem railed upon Abimelech,

And Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren went and gat them to Shechem. And the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

And they went out into the fields and gathered in their grapes and trod them and made merry: and went into the house of their God, and did eat and drink and cursed Abimelech.

Would God this people were under my hand, then I would take Abimelech out of the way." And one said unto Abimelech, "Make thine host greater and go out."

And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entering of the gate of the city. And Abimelech rose up and the folk that were with him, from lying await.

And Abimelech chased him that he fled before him and many were overthrown and slain, even until they came unto the entering of the gate.

And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, ran and stood in the entering of the gate of the city. And the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields and slew them.

And when all the men of the town of Shechem heard that, they entered into a stronghold of the house of their god Baalberith.

he gat him to mount Zalmon, both he and all that were with him, and took axes with him and cut down an arm of a tree, and took it up, and put it on his shoulder, and said unto the folk that were with him, "Whatsoever ye see me do: speed yourselves and do likewise."

And all the people cut down also every man a bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them into the hold, and set the hold a fire upon them: so that all the men of the tower of Shechem were slain, upon a thousand persons what of men and women together.

But there was a strong tower in the midst of the city, and thither ran all the men and women and all the citizens of the city and shut it to them, and got them up upon the top of the tower.

Then came Abimelech unto the tower and fought against it, and went hard unto the entering of the gate, to set it on fire.

and thereto all the wickedness of the men of Shechem, God did bring upon their heads: And upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Then the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against thee: for we have forsaken our own God, and have served Baalim."

But the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his folk into the hands of Israel. And so Israel smote them and conquered all the land of the Amorites, the inhabiters of the said country.

So now seeing the LORD God of Israel hath cast out the Amorites before his people, shouldest thou possess the land?

Nay, but what people Chemosh thy god driveth out, that land possess thou. But whatsoever nations the LORD our God expelleth, that land ought we to enjoy.

For see, thou shalt conceive and bear a son. And there may no razor or shearers come on his head: for the lad shall be an abstainer unto God, even from the time of his birth. And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines."

Then the wife went and told her husband, saying, "A man of God came unto me, and the fashion of him was like the fashion of an Angel of God, exceeding fearful. But I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name.

And he said unto me, 'Behold, thou shalt be with child and bear a son, and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the lad shall be an abstainer to God even from his birth to the day of his death.'"

Then Manoah made intercession to the LORD, and said, "I pray thee, my LORD, let the man of God which thou sentest come once more unto us and teach us what we shall do unto the lad when he is born."

And God heard the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again unto the wife, as she sat in the fields: But Manoah her husband was not with her.

Then said Manoah unto the Angel of the LORD, "Grant us to tarry until we have made ready a kid and have set it before thee."

And Manoah took a kid with a meat offering and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD. And the angel did wonderfully, Manoah and his wife looking upon.

and said unto his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!"

And the spirit of the LORD came upon him. And he tare him, as a man would rent a kid, and yet had nothing in his hand. Nevertheless he told not his father and mother what he had done.

But it chanced, within a while after, even in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a Kid. And when he supposed to have gone in unto his wife into the chamber, her father would not suffer him to go in,

But God brake a great tooth that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout. And when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he was refreshed, wherefore the name thereof was called the Well of the Caller-on, which is in Lehi unto this day.

And it was told the Gazites, that Samson was come thither. And they went about and laid a wait for him all night in the gate of the city, but were still all the night, saying, "Tarry till the morning that it be day, and then let us kill him."

And Samson took his rest till midnight, and arose at midnight took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two side posts, and rent them off, bars and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of a hill that lieth before Hebron.

And he told her all his heart, and said unto her, "There never came razor nor shears upon mine head, for I have been an abstainer to God even from my mother's womb. If mine hair were cut off, my strength would go from me, and I should wax and be like all other men."

And she made him sleep upon her lap, and sent for a man, and cut off the seven locks of his head and began to vex him. But his strength was gone from him.

Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together, for to offer a solemn offering unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, "Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hands."

And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, "Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, that destroyed our country and slew many of us."

And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, "My Lord Jehovah think upon me, and strengthen me at this time only, O God, that I may be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes."

Then said Micah, "Now I am sure that the LORD will be good unto me, seeing I have a Levite to my priest."

And they said unto him, "Ask of God, I pray thee, that we may know whether the way which we go, shall be prosperous or no."

And they said, "Up, and let us go unto them, for we have seen the land, that it is very good. Haste therefore and be not slothful to depart and go and conquer the land.

When ye be come, ye shall come unto a people that casteth no perils, and unto a large country: for God hath given into your hands a place wherein is no lack of anything that is in the world."

And the six hundred men girded with weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood in the entering of the gate.

And the five men that went to spy out the land, went in thither and took the carved image and the ephod, the graven image, and the image of metal. And the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were armed unto battle,

When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses that were by Micah's house, made an outcry, and followed after the children of Dan and called unto them.

And they set them up the carved image which Micah made, all the while that the house of God was in Shiloh.