Judges 20:33 - Prayer Tents

Judges 20

Resolve to Punish the Guilty

20THEN ALL the Israelites came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah, from Dan even to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead.H1121H3478H3318H5712H6950H259H376H1835H884H776H1568H3068H47092And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot who drew the sword.H6438H5971H7626H3478H3320H6951H5971H430H702H3967H505H376H7273H8025H27193(Now the Benjamites [among whom the vile tragedy occurred] heard that the [other] Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) There the Israelites asked, How did this wickedness happen?H1121H1144H8085H1121H3478H5927H4709H559H1121H3478H1696H1961H74514And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, replied, I came to Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.H3881H376H376H802H7523H6030H559H935H1390H1144H6370H38855And the men of Gibeah rose against me and beset the house round about me by night; they meant to kill me and they raped my concubine, and she is dead.H1167H1390H6965H5437H1004H5437H3915H1819H2026H6370H6031H41916And 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 abomination and [wicked] folly in Israel.H270H6370H5408H7971H7704H5159H3478H6213H2154H5039H34787Behold, you Israelites, all of you, give here your advice and counsel.H1121H3478H3051H1988H1697H60988And all the people arose as one man, saying, Not any of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his home.H5971H6965H259H376H559H376H3212H168H376H5493H10049But now this we will do to Gibeah: we will go up by lot against it,H1697H6213H1390H148610And we will take ten men of 100 throughout all the tribes of Israel, and 100 of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000, to bring provisions for the men, that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin they may do to them according to all the [wicked] folly which they have committed in Israel.H3947H6235H582H3967H7626H3478H3967H505H505H7233H3947H6720H5971H6213H935H1387H1144H5039H6213H347811So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.H376H3478H622H5892H2270H259H37612And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that has been done among you?H7626H3478H7971H582H7626H1144H559H7451H196113Now therefore, give up the men [involved], the base fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel. But the Benjamites would not listen to the voice of their kinsmen the Israelites.H5414H582H1121H1100H1390H4191H1197H7451H3478H1121H1144H14H8085H6963H251H1121H347814But the Benjamites out of the cities assembled at Gibeah to go out to battle against the other Israelites.H1121H1144H622H5892H1390H3318H4421H1121H347815And the Benjamites mustered out of their cities at that time 26,000 men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered 700 chosen men.H1121H1144H6485H3117H5892H6242H8337H505H376H8025H2719H3427H1390H6485H7651H3967H977H37616Among all these were 700 chosen left-handed men; every one could sling stones at a hair and not miss.H5971H7651H3967H977H376H334H3027H3225H7049H68H8185H239817And the men of Israel, other than Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war.H376H3478H1144H6485H702H3967H505H376H8025H2719H376H4421

Civil War, Benjamin Defeated

18The Israelites arose and went up to the house of God [Bethel] and asked counsel of God and said, Which of us shall take the lead to battle against the Benjamites? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first.H1121H3478H6965H5927H1004H430H1008H7592H430H559H4310H5927H8462H4421H1121H1144H3068H559H3063H846219Then the Israelites rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.H1121H3478H6965H1242H2583H139020And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin and set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.H376H3478H3318H4421H1144H376H3478H6186H4421H139021The Benjamites came forth out of Gibeah and felled to the ground that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.H1121H1144H3318H1390H7843H776H3478H3117H6242H8147H505H37622But the people, the men of Israel, took courage {and} strengthened themselves and again set their battle line in the same place where they formed it the first day.H5971H376H3478H2388H4421H3254H6186H4725H6186H7223H311723And the Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening and asked of the Lord, Shall we go up again to battle against our brethren the Benjamites? And the Lord said, Go up against them.H1121H3478H5927H1058H6440H3068H6153H7592H3068H559H5066H3254H4421H1121H1144H251H3068H559H592724So the Israelites came near against the Benjamites the second day.H1121H3478H7126H1121H1144H8145H311725And Benjamin went forth out of Gibeah against them the second day and felled to the ground the Israelites again, 18,000 men, all of whom were swordsmen.H1144H3318H7125H1390H8145H3117H7843H776H1121H3478H8083H6240H505H376H8025H271926Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up and came to the house of God [Bethel] and wept; and they sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.H1121H3478H5971H5927H935H1004H430H1008H1058H3427H6440H3068H6684H3117H6153H5927H5930H8002H6440H306827And the Israelites inquired of the Lord--for the ark of the covenant of God was there [at Bethel] in those days,H1121H3478H7592H3068H727H1285H430H311728And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days--saying, Shall we yet again go out to battle against our brethren the Benjamites or shall we quit? And the Lord said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.H6372H1121H499H1121H175H5975H6440H3117H559H3254H3318H4421H1121H1144H251H2308H3068H559H5927H4279H5414H302729So Israel set men in ambush round about Gibeah.H3478H7760H693H5439H139030And the Israelites went up against the Benjamites on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah as at other times.H1121H3478H5927H1121H1144H7992H3117H6186H1390H647131And the Benjamites went out against their army and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite and kill some of the people as at other times, in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country--about thirty men of Israel.H1121H1144H3318H7125H5971H5423H5892H2490H5221H5971H2491H6471H4546H259H5927H1004H430H1008H259H1390H7704H7970H376H347832And the Benjamites said, They are routed before us as at first. But the Israelites said, Let us flee and draw them from the city to the highways.H1121H1144H559H5062H6440H7223H1121H3478H559H5127H5423H5892H454633And all the men of Israel rose out of their places and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel in ambush rushed out of their place in the meadow of Geba.H376H3478H6965H4725H6186H1193H693H3478H1518H4725H4629H138734And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard; but the Benjamites did not know disaster was close upon them.H935H5048H1390H6235H505H977H376H3478H4421H3513H3045H7451H506035And the Lord overcame Benjamin before Israel, and the Israelites destroyed of the Benjamites that day 25,100 men, all of whom were swordsmen.H3068H5062H1144H6440H3478H1121H3478H7843H1145H3117H6242H2568H505H3967H376H8025H271936So the Benjamites saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel gave ground to the Benjamites, because they trusted in the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah.H1121H1144H7200H5062H376H3478H5414H4725H1145H982H693H7760H139037And the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah, and the liers-in-wait moved out and smote all the city with the sword.H693H2363H6584H1390H693H4900H5221H5892H6310H271938Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke arise from the city,H4150H376H3478H5973H693H7235H4864H6227H5927H589239The men of Israel should all turn back in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to smite and kill some of the men of Israel, about thirty persons. They said, Surely they are falling before us as in the first battle.H376H3478H2015H4421H1144H2490H5221H2491H376H3478H7970H376H559H5062H5062H6440H7223H442140But when the [signal] cloud began to rise out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to the heavens.H4864H2490H5927H5892H5982H6227H1145H6437H310H3632H5892H5927H806441When the men of Israel turned back again, the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster had come upon them.H376H3478H2015H376H1144H926H7200H7451H506042Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel and fled toward the wilderness, but the battle followed close behind {and} overtook them; and the inhabitants of the cities destroyed those [Benjamites] who came through them in their midst.H6437H6440H376H3478H1870H4057H4421H1692H5892H7843H843243They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and overtook {and} trod them down at their resting-place as far as opposite Gibeah toward the east.H3803H1145H3803H7291H1869H4496H5227H1390H4217H812144And there fell 18,000 men of Benjamin, all of them men of valor.H5307H1144H8083H6240H505H376H582H242845And [the Benjamites] turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel picked off on the highways 5,000 men of them; they pursued hard after them to Gidom and slew 2,000 more of them.H6437H5127H4057H5553H7417H5953H4546H2568H505H376H1692H310H1440H5221H505H37646So that all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor.H5307H3117H1144H6242H2568H505H376H8025H2719H582H242847But 600 men turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon and remained at the rock Rimmon four months.H8337H3967H376H6437H5127H4057H5553H7417H3427H5553H7417H702H232048And the men of Israel turned back against the Benjamites and smote them with the sword, men and beasts and all that they found. Also they set on fire all the towns to which they came.H376H3478H7725H1121H1144H5221H6310H2719H4974H5892H5704H929H4672H7971H784H5892H4672