Quotes About Community

Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?

Now then, tonight you and the people with you are to come and lie in wait in the fields.

Tola judged Israel twenty-three years, and when he died, he was buried in Shamir.

He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.

“Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”

They answered Jephthah, “This is why we now turn to you, that you may go with us, fight the Ammonites, and become leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”

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.

But Jephthah replied, “My people and I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called, you did not save me out of their hands.

And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah.

“Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”

and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah.

Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.

And while they were near Micahís house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”

They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land!

So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micahís house.

So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.

“Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”

So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people.

After they were some distance from Micahís house, the men in the houses near Micahís house mobilized and overtook the Danites.

When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”

So they set up for themselves Micahís graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.