Judges:20:17-48

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* And the men of Israel Yisra #el #, beside Benjamin , were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword : all these were men of war . * And the children of Israel arose , and went up to the house of God # Beyth -#El #, 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 . * And the children of Israel rose up in the morning , and encamped against Gibeah Gib #ah #. * 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 Gib #ah #. * And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah Gib #ah #, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men . * 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 . * (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 .) * And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day . * 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 sh @moneh # thousand men ; all these drew the sword . * Then all the children of Israel Yisra #el #, and all the people , went up , and came unto the house of God # Beyth -#El #, and wept , and sat there before the LORD , and fasted that day until even , and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD . * And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD , (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days , * And Phinehas , the son of Eleazar #El #azar #, 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 . * And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah Gib #ah #. * And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day , and put themselves in array against Gibeah Gib #ah #, as at other times pa #am #. * 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 pa #am #, in the highways , of which one goeth up to the house of God # Beyth -#El #, and the other to Gibeah in the field , about thirty men of Israel Yisra #el #. * And the children of Benjamin said , They are smitten down before us , as at the first ri #shown #. But the children of Israel said , Let us flee , and draw them from the city unto the highways . * And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place , and put themselves in array at Baaltamar Ba #al : and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places , even out of the meadows of Gibeah . * And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel Yisra #el #, and the battle was sore : but they knew not that evil was near them . * And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel Yisra #el #: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites Ben-y @miyniy # that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men : all these drew the sword . * So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten : for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites Ben-y @miyniy #, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah Gib #ah #. * And the liers in wait hasted , and rushed upon Gibeah Gib #ah #; and the liers in wait drew themselves along , and smote all the city with the edge of the sword . * 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 . * 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 . * But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke , the Benjamites Ben-y @miyniy # looked behind them , and , behold , the flame of the city ascended up to heaven . * And when the men of Israel turned again , the men of Benjamin were amazed : for they saw that evil was come upon them . * 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 . * Thus they inclosed the Benjamites Ben-y @miyniy # round about , and chased them , and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising mizrach #. * And there fell of Benjamin eighteen sh @moneh # thousand men ; all these were men of valour . * 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 Gid #om #, and slew two thousand men of them . * 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 . * But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon , and abode in the rock Rimmon four months . * 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 .

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