Judges 20 - Prayer Tents

Israel’s War with the Benjamites

20Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.H1121H3478H3318H5712H6950H259H376H1835H884H776H1568H3068H4709 2And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.H6438H5971H7626H3478H3320H6951H5971H430H702H3967H505H376H7273H8025H2719 3(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?H1121H1144H8085H1121H3478H5927H4709H559H1121H3478H1696H1961H7451 4And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.H3881H376H376H802H7523H6030H559H935H1390H1144H6370H3885 5And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.H1167H1390H6965H5437H1004H5437H3915H1819H2026H6370H6031H4191 6And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.H270H6370H5408H7971H7704H5159H3478H6213H2154H5039H3478 7Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.H1121H3478H3051H1988H1697H6098 8And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.H5971H6965H259H376H559H376H3212H168H376H5493H1004 9But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;H1697H6213H1390H1486 10And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.H3947H6235H582H3967H7626H3478H3967H505H505H7233H3947H6720H5971H6213H935H1387H1144H5039H6213H3478 11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.H376H3478H622H5892H2270H259H376 12And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?H7626H3478H7971H582H7626H1144H559H7451H1961 13Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.H5414H582H1121H1100H1390H4191H1197H7451H3478H1121H1144H14H8085H6963H251H1121H3478 14But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.H1121H1144H622H5892H1390H3318H4421H1121H3478 15And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.H1121H1144H6485H3117H5892H6242H8337H505H376H8025H2719H3427H1390H6485H7651H3967H977H376 16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.H5971H7651H3967H977H376H334H3027H3225H7049H68H8185H2398 17And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.H376H3478H1144H6485H702H3967H505H376H8025H2719H376H4421 18And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.H1121H3478H6965H5927H1004H430H1008H7592H430H559H4310H5927H8462H4421H1121H1144H3068H559H3063H8462 19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.H1121H3478H6965H1242H2583H1390 20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.H376H3478H3318H4421H1144H376H3478H6186H4421H1390 21And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.H1121H1144H3318H1390H7843H776H3478H3117H6242H8147H505H376 22And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.H5971H376H3478H2388H4421H3254H6186H4725H6186H7223H3117 23(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)H1121H3478H5927H1058H6440H3068H6153H7592H3068H559H5066H3254H4421H1121H1144H251H3068H559H5927 24And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.H1121H3478H7126H1121H1144H8145H3117 25And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.H1144H3318H7125H1390H8145H3117H7843H776H1121H3478H8083H6240H505H376H8025H2719 26Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.H1121H3478H5971H5927H935H1004H430H1008H1058H3427H6440H3068H6684H3117H6153H5927H5930H8002H6440H3068 27And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,H1121H3478H7592H3068H727H1285H430H3117 28And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.H6372H1121H499H1121H175H5975H6440H3117H559H3254H3318H4421H1121H1144H251H2308H3068H559H5927H4279H5414H3027 29And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.H3478H7760H693H5439H1390 30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.H1121H3478H5927H1121H1144H7992H3117H6186H1390H6471 31And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.H1121H1144H3318H7125H5971H5423H5892H2490H5221H5971H2491H6471H4546H259H5927H1004H430H1008H259H1390H7704H7970H376H3478 32And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.H1121H1144H559H5062H6440H7223H1121H3478H559H5127H5423H5892H4546 33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.H376H3478H6965H4725H6186H1193H693H3478H1518H4725H4629H1387 34And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.H935H5048H1390H6235H505H977H376H3478H4421H3513H3045H7451H5060 35And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.H3068H5062H1144H6440H3478H1121H3478H7843H1145H3117H6242H2568H505H3967H376H8025H2719 36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.H1121H1144H7200H5062H376H3478H5414H4725H1145H982H693H7760H1390 37And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.H693H2363H6584H1390H693H4900H5221H5892H6310H2719 38Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.H4150H376H3478H5973H693H7235H4864H6227H5927H5892 39And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.H376H3478H2015H4421H1144H2490H5221H2491H376H3478H7970H376H559H5062H5062H6440H7223H4421 40But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.H4864H2490H5927H5892H5982H6227H1145H6437H310H3632H5892H5927H8064 41And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.H376H3478H2015H376H1144H926H7200H7451H5060 42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.H6437H6440H376H3478H1870H4057H4421H1692H5892H7843H8432 43Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.H3803H1145H3803H7291H1869H4496H5227H1390H4217H8121 44And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.H5307H1144H8083H6240H505H376H582H2428 45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.H6437H5127H4057H5553H7417H5953H4546H2568H505H376H1692H310H1440H5221H505H376 46So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.H5307H3117H1144H6242H2568H505H376H8025H2719H582H2428 47But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.H8337H3967H376H6437H5127H4057H5553H7417H3427H5553H7417H702H2320 48And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.H376H3478H7725H1121H1144H5221H6310H2719H4974H5892H5704H929H4672H7971H784H5892H4672