God

“They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”

But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”

The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.

When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: “Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you.

But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’

But the grapevine replied, ‘Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’

God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,

If only this people were under my authority, I would remove Abimelech; I would say to him, ‘Muster your army and come out!’”

In this way God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father in murdering his seventy brothers.

And God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.

So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites,

Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for we have indeed forsaken our God and served the Baals.”

The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines,

Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you and you cried out to Me, did I not save you from their hands?

But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.

“We have sinned,” the Israelites said to the LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit; but please deliver us today!”

So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.

But Jephthah asked them, “If you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, will I really be your leader?”

And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”

So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. And Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.

Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, who defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites who inhabited that country,

Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, should you now possess it?

Do you not possess whatever your god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us.

I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by waging war against me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”