Book 07 : JUDGES - Chapter 020
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And 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
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(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
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And 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
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And 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
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And 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
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Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice
and counsel
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And 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
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But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we
will go up by lot against it
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And 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
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So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit
together as one man
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And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of
Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among
you
020:012
Now 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
020:013
But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out
of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the
children of Israel
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And 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
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Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men
lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth,
and not miss
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And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four
hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of
war
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And 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
020:018
And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and
encamped against Gibeah
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And 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
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And 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
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And 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
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(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.
020:023
And the children of Israel came near against the children of
Benjamin the second day
020:024
And 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
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Then 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
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And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark
of the covenant of God was there in those days
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And 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
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And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah
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And 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
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And 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
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And 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
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And 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
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And 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
020:034
And 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
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So 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
020:036
And 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
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Now 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
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And 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
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But 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
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And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin
were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them
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Therefore 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
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Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased
them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward
the sunrising
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And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these
were men of valour
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And 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
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So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and
five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of
valour
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But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the
rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months
020:047
And 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
Book 07 : JUDGES - Chapter 020
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