Eglon got the Ammonites and the Amalekites to help him, and they defeated the Israelites and occupied the City of Palms.

The Israelites served King Eglon of Moab for 18 years.

Then the people of Israel cried out to Yahweh for help. Yahweh sent a savior to rescue them. It was Ehud, a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin. (Ehud was the son of Gera.) The people sent him with their tax payment to King Eglon of Moab.

When he arrived there, he blew a ram’s horn in the mountains of Ephraim to summon the troops. So the troops of Israel came down from the mountains with him, and he led them.

The power of Moab was crushed by Israel that day. So there was finally peace in the land for 80 years.

Shamgar Defeats the Philistines

After Ehud came Shamgar, son of Anath. He killed 600 Philistines with a sharp stick used for herding oxen. So he, too, rescued Israel.

The Lord Calls Barak Through Deborah

After Ehud died, the people of Israel again did what Yahweh considered evil.

The people of Israel cried out to Yahweh for help. King Jabin had 900 chariots made of iron and had cruelly oppressed Israel for 20 years.

Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet. She was the judge in Israel at that time.

She used to sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. The people of Israel would come to her for legal decisions.

Deborah summoned Barak, son of Abinoam, from Kedesh in Naphtali. She told him, “Yahweh Elohim of Israel has given you this order: ‘Gather troops on Mount Tabor. Take 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun with you.

So on that day, Elohim used the people of Israel to crush the power of King Jabin of Canaan.

The Israelites became stronger and stronger until they destroyed him.

Praise Yahweh! Men in Israel vowed to fight, and people volunteered for service.

Listen, you kings! Open your ears, you princes! I will sing a song to Yahweh. I will make music to Yahweh Elohim of Israel.

and the mountains shook in the presence of Yahweh God of Sinai, in the presence of Yahweh Elohim of Israel.

Villages in Israel were deserted— deserted until I, Deborah, took a stand— took a stand as a mother of Israel.

When the people chose new gods, war broke out inside the city gates. Not a weapon was seen among 40,000 in Israel.

My heart goes out to Israel’s commanders, to those people who volunteered. Praise Yahweh!

Listen to the voices of those singing at the wells. Over and over again they repeat the victories of Yahweh, the victories for his villages in Israel. Then Yahweh’s people went down to the city gates.

Israel Sins Again

The people of Israel did what Yahweh considered evil. So Yahweh handed them over to Midian for seven years.

Midian’s power was too strong for Israel. The Israelites made hiding places in the mountains, caves, and mountain strongholds to protect themselves from Midian.

Whenever Israel planted crops, Midian, Amalek, and Kedem came and damaged the crops.

The enemy used to camp on the land and destroy the crops all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to live on—not one sheep, cow, or donkey.

So the Israelites became very poor because of Midian and cried out to Yahweh for help.