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Resolve
to Punish the Guilty |
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| Judges 20:1 |
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Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba,
including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one
man to the LORD at Mizpah. |
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| Judges 20:2 |
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The chiefs of all the people, even of all the
tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000
foot soldiers who drew the sword. |
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| Judges 20:3 |
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(Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons
of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, "Tell us, how did
this wickedness take place?" |
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| Judges 20:4 |
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So the Levite, the husband of the woman who
was murdered, answered and said, "I came with my concubine to spend the night
at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. |
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| Judges 20:5 |
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But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and
surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me; instead,
they ravished my concubine so that she died. |
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| Judges 20:6 |
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And I took hold of my concubine and cut her
in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel's inheritance; for they have
committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. |
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| Judges 20:7 |
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Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your advice
and counsel here." |
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| Judges 20:8 |
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Then all the people arose as one man, saying,
"Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house. |
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| Judges 20:9 |
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But now this is the thing which we will do
to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot. |
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| Judges 20:10 |
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And we will take 10 men out of 100 throughout
the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000 to supply
food for the people, that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may punish
them for all the disgraceful acts that they have committed in Israel." |
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| Judges 20:11 |
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Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against
the city, united as one man. |
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| Judges 20:12 |
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Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the
entire tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has taken place
among you? |
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| Judges 20:13 |
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Now then, deliver up the men, the worthless
fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from
Israel." But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers,
the sons of Israel. |
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| Judges 20:14 |
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The sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities
to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. |
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| Judges 20:15 |
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From the cities on that day the sons of Benjamin
were numbered, 26,000 men who draw the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah
who were numbered, 700 choice men. |
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| Judges 20:16 |
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Out of all these people 700 choice men were
left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. |
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| Judges 20:17 |
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Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were
numbered, 400,000 men who draw the sword; all these were men of war. |
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Civil
War, Benjamin Defeated |
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| Judges 20:18 |
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Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel,
and inquired of God and said, "Who shall go up first for us to battle against
the sons of Benjamin?" Then the LORD said, "Judah shall go up first." |
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| Judges 20:19 |
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So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and
camped against Gibeah. |
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| Judges 20:20 |
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The men of Israel went out to battle against
Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed for battle against them at Gibeah. |
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| Judges 20:21 |
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Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah
and felled to the ground on that day 22,000 men of Israel. |
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| Judges 20:22 |
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But the people, the men of Israel, encouraged
themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where they had arrayed themselves
the first day. |
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| Judges 20:23 |
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The sons of Israel went up and wept before the
LORD until evening, and inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall we again draw near
for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up
against him." |
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| Judges 20:24 |
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Then the sons of Israel came against the sons
of Benjamin the second day. |
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| Judges 20:25 |
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Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the
second day and felled to the ground again 18,000 men of the sons of Israel; all
these drew the sword. |
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| Judges 20:26 |
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Then all the sons of Israel and all the people
went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained 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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| Judges 20:27 |
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The sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for
the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, |
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| Judges 20:28 |
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and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron's son,
stood before it to minister in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out
to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?" And the
LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand." |
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| Judges 20:29 |
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So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. |
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| Judges 20:30 |
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The sons of Israel went up against the sons
of Benjamin on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as at other
times. |
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| Judges 20:31 |
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The sons of Benjamin went out against the people
and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the
people as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and
the other to Gibeah, and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. |
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| Judges 20:32 |
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The sons of Benjamin said, "They are struck
down before us, as at the first." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee that
we may draw them away from the city to the highways." |
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| Judges 20:33 |
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Then all the men of Israel arose from their
place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel in ambush broke
out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. |
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| Judges 20:34 |
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When ten thousand choice men from all Israel
came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that
disaster was close to them. |
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| Judges 20:35 |
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And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel,
so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, all who
draw the sword. |
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| Judges 20:36 |
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So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated.
When the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men
in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, |
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| Judges 20:37 |
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the men in ambush hurried and rushed against
Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge
of the sword. |
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| Judges 20:38 |
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Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel
and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from
the city. |
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| Judges 20:39 |
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Then the men of Israel turned in the battle,
and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said,
"Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle." |
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| Judges 20:40 |
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But when the cloud began to rise from the city
in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city
was going up in smoke to heaven. |
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| Judges 20:41 |
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Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of
Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that disaster was close to them. |
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| Judges 20:42 |
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Therefore, they turned their backs before the
men of Israel toward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook
them while those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them. |
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| Judges 20:43 |
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They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without
rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the east. |
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| Judges 20:44 |
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Thus 18,000 men of Benjamin fell; all these
were valiant warriors. |
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| Judges 20:45 |
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The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness
to the rock of Rimmon, but they caught 5,000 of them on the highways and overtook
them at Gidom and killed 2,000 of them. |
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| Judges 20:46 |
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So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000
men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors. |
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| Judges 20:47 |
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But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness
to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. |
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| Judges 20:48 |
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The men of Israel then turned back against the
sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city
with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities
which they found. |
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