came forth from Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.
22 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.
23 (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, 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.)
24 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
25 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.
26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came to the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28 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 thy hand.
29 And Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.
30 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.
31 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. [1] [2]
32 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 to the highways.
33 And all the men of Israel rose out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and those of Israel who were in ambush came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.
34 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce: but they knew not that evil was near them.
35 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.
36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted to the ones lying in ambush which they had set beside Gibeah.
37 And those in ambush hastened, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the ones lying in ambush drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword. [3]
38 Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush, that they should make a great flame with smoke to ascend up from the city. [4] [5] [6]
39 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. [7]
40 But when the flame began to ascend up from the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven. [8]
41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil had come upon them. [9]
42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and those who came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.
43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites on all sides, and chased them, and trod them down with ease opposite Gibeah toward the sunrising. [10] [11]
44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them to Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
46 So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.
47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.
48 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. [12] [13]
CHAP. 21.
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.
2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept bitterly;
3 And said, O LORD God of Israel,
- ↑ to smite...: Heb. to smite of the people wounded as at, etc
- ↑ the house...: or, Bethel
- ↑ drew...: or, made a long sound with the trumpet
- ↑ sign: or, time
- ↑ and: Heb. with
- ↑ flame: Heb. elevation
- ↑ to smite...: Heb. to smite the wounded
- ↑ the flame of: Heb. the whole consumption of
- ↑ was come...: Heb. touched them
- ↑ with ease...: or, from Menuchah, etc
- ↑ over...: Heb. unto over against
- ↑ came to hand: Heb. was found
- ↑ they came...: Heb. were found
