Judges 20
1
So a all the children of Israel came out, from b Dan to c Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the LORD d at Mizpah.
2
And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers e who drew the sword.
3
(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the children of Israel said, "Tell us, how did this wicked deed happen?"
4
So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "My concubine and f I went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to spend the night.
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g "And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, h but instead they ravished my concubine so that she died.
6
"So i I took hold of my concubine, cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel, because they j committed lewdness and outrage in Israel.
7
"Look! All of you are children of Israel; k give your advice and counsel here and now!"
8
So all the people arose as one man, saying, "None of us will go to his tent, nor will any turn back to his house;
9
"but now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up l against it by lot.
10
"We will take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may repay all the vileness that they have done in Israel."
11
So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man.
12
m Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?
13
"Now therefore, deliver up the men, n the perverted men who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and o remove the evil from Israel!" But the children of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel.
14
Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel.
15
And from their cities at that time p the children of Benjamin numbered twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred select men.
16
Among all this people were seven hundred select men who were q left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair's breadth and not miss.
17
Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.
18
Then the children of Israel arose and r went up to the house of God to s inquire of God. They said, "Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?" The LORD said, t "Judah first!"
19
So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.
20
And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah.
21
Then u the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites.
22
And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.
23
v Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, "Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him."
24
So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day.
25
And w Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.
26
Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, x went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
27
So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD ( y the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28
z and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, a stood before it in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?" And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."
29
Then Israel b set men in ambush all around Gibeah.
30
And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times.
31
So the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways c (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
32
And the children of Benjamin said, "They are defeated before us, as at first." But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways."
33
So all the men of Israel rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israel's men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba.
34
And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. d But the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them.
35
The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed that day twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword.
36
So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. e The men of Israel had given ground to the Benjamites, because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah.
37
f And the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah; the men in ambush spread out and struck the whole city with the edge of the sword.
38
Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of g smoke rise up from the city,
39
whereupon the men of Israel would turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty of the men of Israel. For they said, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle."
40
But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites h looked behind them, and there was the whole city going up in smoke to heaven.
41
And when the men of Israel turned back, the men of Benjamin panicked, for they saw that disaster had come upon them.
42
Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and whoever came out of the cities they destroyed in their midst.
43
They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the front of Gibeah toward the east.
44
And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valor.
45
Then they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of i Rimmon; and they cut down five thousand of them on the highways. Then they pursued them relentlessly up to Gidom, and killed two thousand of them.
46
So all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.
47
j But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months.
48
And the men of Israel turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them down with the edge of the sword - from every city, men and beasts, all who were found. They also set fire to all the cities they came to.
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Cross References
Joshua 22:12
And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.
Judges 20:11
So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man.
Judges 21:5
The children of Israel said, "Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the LORD?" For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, "He shall surely be put to death.
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Cross References
Judges 18:29
And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly was Laish.
1 Samuel 3:20
And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD.
2 Samuel 3:10
"to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba."
2 Samuel 24:2
So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.
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Cross References
Joshua 19:2
They had in their inheritance Beersheba (Sheba), Moladah.
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Cross References
Judges 10:17
Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah.
1 Samuel 7:5
And Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.
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Cross References
Judges 8:10
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East; for one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen.
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Cross References
Judges 19:15
They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into his house to spend the night.
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Cross References
Judges 19:22
As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!
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Cross References
Judges 19:25
But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.
Judges 19:26
Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, till it was light.
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Cross References
Judges 19:29
When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.
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Cross References
Joshua 7:15
'Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'"
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Cross References
Judges 19:30
And so it was that all who saw it said, "No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up!
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Cross References
Judges 1:3
So Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory." And Simeon went with him.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 13:14
Then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you.
Joshua 22:13
Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead.
Joshua 22:16
Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD: 'What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against the LORD?
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 13:13
Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods" ' - which you have not known -
Judges 19:22
As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 17:12
Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel.
1 Corinthians 5:13
But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person.
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Cross References
Numbers 1:36
From the children of Benjamin, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers' house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:
Numbers 1:37
Those who were numbered of the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
Numbers 2:23
And his army was numbered at thirty-five thousand four hundred.
Numbers 26:41
These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred.
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Cross References
Judges 3:15
But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
1 Chronicles 12:2
Armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul's brethren.
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Cross References
Judges 20:23
Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, "Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him.
Judges 20:26
Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
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Cross References
Numbers 27:21
"He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the LORD for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him - all the congregation."
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Cross References
Judges 1:1
Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, "Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?
Judges 1:2
And the LORD said, "Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.
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Cross References
Genesis 49:27
"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil."
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Cross References
Judges 20:26
Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
Judges 20:27
So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD ( the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days.
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Cross References
Judges 20:21
Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites.
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Cross References
Judges 20:18
Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, "Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?" The LORD said, "Judah first!
Judges 20:23
Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, "Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him.
Judges 21:2
Then the people came to the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.
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Cross References
Joshua 18:1
Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them.
1 Samuel 1:3
This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
1 Samuel 3:3
And before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down.
1 Samuel 4:3
And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.
1 Samuel 4:4
So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
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Cross References
Numbers 25:7
Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand.
Numbers 25:13
'and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'"
Joshua 24:33
And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 10:8
At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day.
Deuteronomy 18:5
For the LORD your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons forever.
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Cross References
Joshua 8:4
And he commanded them, saying: "Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
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Cross References
Judges 21:19
Then they said, "In fact, there is a yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.
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Cross References
Joshua 8:14
Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
Job 21:13
They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave.
Isaiah 47:11
Therefore evil shall come upon you; You shall not know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; You will not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, Which you shall not know.
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Cross References
Joshua 8:15
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
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Cross References
Joshua 8:19
So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire.
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Cross References
Joshua 8:20
And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.
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Cross References
Joshua 8:20
And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.
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Cross References
Joshua 15:32
Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty-nine, with their villages.
1 Chronicles 6:77
From the tribe of Zebulun the rest of the children of Merari were given Rimmon with its common-lands and Tabor with its common-lands.
Zechariah 14:10
All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses.
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Cross References
Judges 21:13
Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.