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Judges
Chapter
20
1~~Then
all the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el} went out,
and
the congregation was gathered together as one man,
from
Dan even to Beersheba,
with
the land of Gilead,
unto
the Jehovah/God in Mizpeh.
{Mizpeh is where the Judges gathered - the capital at this time}
2~~And
the chief of all the people
{each tribe has a 'Judge' or chief},
even
of all the tribes of Israel,
presented
themselves
in
the assembly of the people of 'Elohiym/Godhead,
four
hundred thousand infantry/footmen who drew sword.
{Note: They are going to solve the problem of the woman killed by 400,000 infantry.}
3~~(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.)
Then
said the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el},
"Tell
us, how was this wickedness?"
4~~And
the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said,
"I
came into Gibeah which belonged to Benjamin,
I
and my concubine/ paramour {piylegesh}, to lodge.
5~~And
the men of Gibeah rose against me,
and
beset the house round about upon me by night,
and
'thought to have slain me'/'I was sure they would kill me'.
And
my concubine/paramour {piylegesh}
have
they forced/'raped and abused'
{zimah - to rape in a horrible way},
and
she is dead.
6~~And
I took my concubine/paramour {piylegesh},
and
cut her in pieces,
and
sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel
for
they have committed lewdness and evil in Israel.
7~~Behold,
you are all sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
give
here your advice and counsel."
8~~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.
9~~But
now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah
we
will go up by lot against it.
10~~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 provisions for the people,
that
they may do,
when
they come to Gibeah of Benjamin,
according
to all the evil that they have wrought in Israel."
{1/10th of the men of Israel will go up against Gibeah to destroy
it}
11~~So
all the men of Israel were gathered against the city . . .
knit
together as one man.
12~~And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What wickedness is this that is done among you?"
13~~Now
therefore deliver us the men,
the
sons of Belial, who are in Gibeah,
that
we may put them to death,
{this is legitimate - capital punishment for the rapists and murders}
and
put away evil from Israel.
{this is their law and this is correct}
But
the sons/children of Benjamin
would
not listen to the voice of their brethren . . .
the
sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}.
14~~But
the sons/children of Benjamin gathered themselves
together
out of the cities unto Gibeah,
{Benjamin's entire fighting force came to Gibeah to hold out}
to
go out to battle against the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}.
15~~And
the sons/children of Benjamin
were
mustered/numbered at that time out of the cities
twenty
and six thousand men who drew sword,
beside
the inhabitants of Gibeah,
which
were numbered seven hundred chosen/'great fighting' men.
{Note: Not one man would turn over the men who raped this woman. Yet thousands will fight and die to protect these criminals. Without the authority of God's Word, they are all messed up in what to do.}
16~~Among
all this people there
were
seven hundred chosen men . . . left handed.
Every one could 'hit a rabbit on the run and not miss'.
17~~And
the men of Israel, against Benjamin,
were
numbered four hundred thousand men who drew sword . . .
all
these were men of war {over a 10 to 1 advantage}.
{Note: So no matter what else, the men of Benjamin had great courage. The Levite would not die for his wife, but these men will die over their 'misplaced loyalty' to criminals in their tribe.}
18~~And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el} arose,
and
went up to the house of 'Elohiym/Godhead,
and
asked counsel of 'Elohiym/Godhead, and said,
"Which
of us shall go up first to the battle
against
the sons/children of Benjamin?"
And the Jehovah/God said, "Judah shall go up first."
{Note: They did the right thing in asking God's counsel, but they were not right with God - as evidenced by the fact that they did not win the first battle coming up.}
19~~And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el} rose up 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 array
to
fight against them at Gibeah.
{Forces
of Israel Defeated Badly}
21~~And
the sons/children of Benjamin came forth out of 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 sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el} went up and wept
before
Jehovah/God until evening, and asked counsel of Jehovah/God, saying,
"Shall I go up again to battle against the sons/children of
Benjamin my brother?"
And Jehovah/God said, "Go up against him.")
24~~And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
came
near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
{2nd
Decisive Defeat of Israel}
25~~And
Benjamin went forth
against
them out of Gibeah the second day,
and
destroyed down to the ground
of
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
again
eighteen thousand men . . . all these drew the sword
{40,000 causalities in 2 days}.
26~~Then
all the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el},
and
all the people, went up, and came
unto
the house of 'Elohiym/Godhead,
and
wept, and sat there before Jehovah/God,
and
fasted that day until evening,
and
offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah/God.
27~~And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el} inquired of Jehovah/God,
(for
the ark of the covenant of 'Elohiym/Godhead 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 sons/children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?"
And Jehovah/God said, "Go up . . . for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."
{Note: The Benjamites were the greatest fighters in Israel. They were not going to beat them head to head. King Saul came from Benjamin as did the Apostle Paul. God would have to show them the way.}
29~~And
Israel set 'liers in wait' round about Gibeah
{men hiding - when the soldiers leave the city they will set fire to
the city}.
30~~And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
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 sons/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 goes up
to
the house of 'Elohiym/Godhead,
and
the other to Gibeah in the field,
about
thirty men of Israel.
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 unto the highways."
33~~And
all the men of Israel rose up out of their place,
and
put themselves in array at Baal-Tamar.
And
the 'liers in wait' of Israel 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 hard/grievous . . .
but
they knew not that evil was near them.
35~~And Jehovah/God smote Benjamin before Israel.
And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
destroyed
of the Benjamites that day
twenty
and five thousand and an hundred men . . .
all
these drew the sword.
36~~So
the sons/children of Benjamin
saw
that they were defeated . . .
for
the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites,
because
they trusted unto the 'liers in wait'
which
they had set beside Gibeah.
37~~And the 'liers in wait' hurried, and rushed upon Gibeah.
And
the 'liers in wait' drew themselves along,
and
smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
38~~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.
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."
40~~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.
41~~And
when the men of Israel turned again,
the
men of Benjamin were amazed
for
they saw that evil was come upon them.
42~~Therefore
they turned their backs before the men of Israel
unto
the way of the desert {they ran away};
but
the battle overtook them;
and
those who came out of the cities
they
destroyed in the middle of them.
43~~Thus
they enclosed the Benjamites round about,
and
chased them,
and
marched/road them down with ease
over
against Gibeah toward the sun rising.
44~~And
there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men . . .
all
these were men of valor.
45~~And
they turned and fled
toward
the desert 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.
46~~So
that all which fell that day of Benjamin
were
twenty and five thousand men who drew the sword . . .
all
these were men of valor.
{Only
600 of Benjamin's Army Remain}
47~~But
six hundred men turned and fled to the desert
unto
the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.
{Rimmon is a broken bad lands of an area like the bad lands of
Dakota}
48~~And
the men of Israel turned again
upon
the sons/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 to which they came.
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