Judges

The Israelites, after the death of Joshua, did not fully drive out the Canaanites and instead intermarried with them, leading to idolatry and God's wrath. The Lord raised up judges to deliver them, but the Israelites repeatedly returned to their wicked ways after the judges' deaths. The judges included Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson, each of whom delivered Israel from various oppressors, including the Canaanites, Moabites, Midianites, Ammonites, and Philistines. However, the Israelites continued to disobey God, and the period of the judges was marked by chaos and violence, including the story of Abimelech's rise and fall, the defeat of the Midianites, and the tragic story of Jephthah's daughter. The book also tells the story of Samson, a Nazirite who was given great strength by God but was ultimately betrayed by Delilah and killed by the Philistines. The period of the judges ended with the tribe of Benjamin being nearly wiped out due to their refusal to hand over the perpetrators of a brutal crime, and the remaining Benjaminites were eventually provided with wives through a series of events.