Judges

The Israelites, after the death of Joshua, failed to drive out the Canaanites and instead intermarried and worshiped their gods, leading to God's anger and Israel's subjugation to various nations. The Lord raised up judges to save them, including Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, who led the Israelites to victory over their oppressors, but the people returned to their evil ways after the judges died. The Israelites were oppressed by the Midianites, Ammonites, and Philistines, but were delivered by the judges, including Gideon, who defeated the Midianites with a small army, and Jephthah, who defeated the Ammonites but was forced to sacrifice his daughter due to a vow he made to God. The Israelites also had internal conflicts, including a civil war with the tribe of Benjamin, which was nearly destroyed. The book also tells the story of Samson, a Nazirite who was given great strength by God but was eventually captured and killed by the Philistines after his hair was cut off. The book concludes with the Israelites seeking a solution to provide wives for the remaining Benjamite men, leading to the sparing of 400 virgin women from Jabesh Gilead and the seizure of wives from the dancing girls during the annual festival in Shiloh.