Judges, book of

This book of history tells what happened to the Israelites during the 350 years before Saul became king. There were several small nations or groups of people still in Canaan who often made war against the Israelites. They included the Philistines, the Hittites, the Amorites, and several other groups. The Israelites began to forget God, who had led them out of Egypt into their Promised Land. God allowed them to be conquered by their enemies. Sometimes, when the Israelites had a hard time with their enemies, they called on the Lord for help. God would raise up a judge to lead them and to defeat the enemy. But after the judge died, they would go back to their sinful ways. The book of Judges tells about thirteen such leaders. Judges 2:11–19 provides a summary of the whole book of Judges.