⁵So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ⁶They got married to the daughters of those people. They gave their own daughters to the sons of those people. And they served the gods of those people.

Othniel

⁷The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God. They served the gods that were named after Baal. They also served the goddesses that were named after Asherah.

⁸So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. He gave them over to the power of Cushan-Rishathaim. He was the king of Aram Naharaim. For eight years Israel was under his rule.

⁹They cried out to the Lord. Then he gave them a man to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Kenaz. He was Caleb’s younger brother. ¹⁰The Spirit of the Lord came on Othniel. So he became Israel’s leader. He went to war. The Lord handed Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram, over to him. Othniel overpowered him.

¹¹So the land was at peace for 40 years. Then Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.

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