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Wednesday, September 18th, 2024
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Passage Lookup: Judges 17-21

Christian Standard Bible ®CSB
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Judges 17:1
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There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah.
Judges 17:2
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He said to his mother, "The 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you, and that I heard you utter a curse about—here, I have the silver with me. I took it. So now I return it to you."[a] Then his mother said, "My son, you are blessed by the Lord !"(a)
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Judges 17:3
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He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, "I personally consecrate(b) the silver to the Lord for my son's benefit to make a carved image overlaid with silver."[b]
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Judges 17:4
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So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took five pounds of silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made it into a carved image overlaid with silver,[c] and it was in Micah's house.
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Judges 17:5
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This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols,(c) and installed one of his sons to be his priest.
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Judges 17:6
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In those days there was no king in Israel;(d) everyone did whatever he wanted.[d]
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Judges 17:7
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There was a young man, a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who resided within the clan of Judah.(e)
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Judges 17:8
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The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to settle wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah's home in the hill country of Ephraim.
Judges 17:9
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"Where do you come from?" Micah asked him. He answered him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I'm going to settle wherever I can find a place."
Judges 17:10
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Micah replied,[e] "Stay with me and be my father(f) and priest, and I will give you four ounces of silver a year, along with your clothing and provisions." So the Levite went in
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Judges 17:11
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and agreed to stay with the man, and the young man became like one of his sons.
Judges 17:12
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Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest(g) and lived in Micah's house.
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Judges 17:13
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Then Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest."
Judges 18:1
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In those days, there was no king in Israel,(a) and the Danite tribe was looking for territory to occupy. Up to that time no territory had been captured by them among the tribes of Israel.
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Judges 18:2
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So the Danites sent out five brave men(b) from all their clans, from Zorah and Eshtaol,(c) to scout(d) out the land and explore it. They told them, "Go and explore the land." They came to the hill country of Ephraim as far as the home of Micah and spent the night there.
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Judges 18:3
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While they were near Micah's home, they recognized the speech of the young Levite. So they went over to him and asked, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is keeping you here?"
Judges 18:4
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He told them what Micah had done for him and that he had hired him as his priest.
Judges 18:5
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Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God so we will know if we will have a successful journey."
Judges 18:6
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The priest told them, "Go in peace. The Lord is watching over the journey you are going on."
Judges 18:7
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The five men left and came to Laish. They saw that the people who were there were living securely, in the same way as the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking[a] in the land and no oppressive ruler. They were far from the Sidonians, having no alliance with anyone.[b]
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Judges 18:8
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When the men went back to their clans at Zorah and Eshtaol, their people asked them, "What did you find out?"
Judges 18:9
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They answered, "Come on, let's go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don't hesitate to go and invade and take possession of the land!
Judges 18:10
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When you get there, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has handed it over to you. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking."(e)
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Judges 18:11
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Six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol armed with weapons of war.
Judges 18:12
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They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim(f) in Judah. This is why the place is called the Camp of Dan[c] to this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim.
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Judges 18:13
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From there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and arrived at Micah's house.
Judges 18:14
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The five men who had gone to scout out the land of Laish told their brothers, "Did you know that there are an ephod, household gods, and a carved image overlaid with silver[d] in these houses? Now think about what you should do."
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Judges 18:15
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So they detoured there and went to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him.
Judges 18:16
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The 600 Danite men were standing by the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.
Judges 18:17
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Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land went in and took the carved image overlaid with silver,[e] the ephod, and the household idols, while the priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.
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Judges 18:18
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When they entered Micah's house and took the carved image overlaid with silver,[f] the ephod, and the household idols, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"
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Judges 18:19
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They told him, "Be quiet. Keep your mouth shut.[g](g) Come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?"
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Judges 18:20
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So the priest was pleased and took his ephod, household idols, and carved image, and went with the people.
Judges 18:21
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They prepared to leave, putting their small children, livestock, and possessions in front of them.
Judges 18:22
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After they were some distance from Micah's house, the men who were in the houses near it mobilized and caught up with the Danites.
Judges 18:23
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They called to the Danites, who turned to face them, and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you mobilized the men?"
Judges 18:24
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He said, "You took the gods I had made and the priest, and went away. What do I have left? How can you say to me, ‘What's the matter with you?'"
Judges 18:25
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The Danites said to him, "Don't raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives."
Judges 18:26
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The Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were stronger than he was.
Judges 18:27
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After they had taken the gods Micah had made and the priest that belonged to him, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people. They killed them with their swords and burned down the city.(h)
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Judges 18:28
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There was no one to rescue them because it was far from Sidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in a valley that belonged to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.
Judges 18:29
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They named the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. The city was formerly named Laish.
Judges 18:30
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The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses,[h] and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land.(i)
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Judges 18:31
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So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.
Judges 19:1
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In those days, when there was no king in Israel,(a) a Levite living in a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim acquired a woman from Bethlehem in Judah as his concubine.
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Judges 19:2
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But she was unfaithful to[a] him and left him for her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there for a period of four months.
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Judges 19:3
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Then her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her[b](b) and bring her back. He had his servant with him and a pair of donkeys. So she brought him to her father's house, and when the girl's father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.
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Judges 19:4
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His father-in-law, the girl's father, detained him, and he stayed with him for three days. They ate, drank, and spent the nights there.
Judges 19:5
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On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to go, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Have something to eat to keep up your strength(c) and then you can go."
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Judges 19:6
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So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl's father said to the man, "Please agree to stay overnight and enjoy yourself."(d)
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Judges 19:7
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The man got up to go, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed and spent the night there again.
Judges 19:8
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He got up early in the morning of the fifth day to leave, but the girl's father said to him, "Please keep up your strength." So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate.
Judges 19:9
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The man got up to go with his concubine and his servant, when his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Look, night is coming. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, enjoy yourself, then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey and go home."
Judges 19:10
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But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up, departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem(e)). The man had his two saddled donkeys and his concubine with him.
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Judges 19:11
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When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant(f) said to his master, "Please, why not[c] let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here?"
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Judges 19:12
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But his master replied to him, "We will not stop at a foreign city where there are no Israelites. Let's move on to Gibeah."(g)
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Judges 19:13
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"Come on," he said,[d] "let's try to reach one of these places and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah."
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Judges 19:14
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So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.
Judges 19:15
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They stopped[e] to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into their home to spend the night.
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Judges 19:16
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In the evening, an old man came in from his work in the field. He was from the hill country of Ephraim(h) but was residing in Gibeah, and the men of that place were Benjaminites.
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Judges 19:17
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When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going, and where do you come from?"
Judges 19:18
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He answered him, "We're traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I'm going to the house of the Lord .[f] No one has taken me into his home,
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Judges 19:19
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although we have both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me, your female servant, and the young man with your servant.[g] There is nothing we lack."
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Judges 19:20
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"Peace to you," said the old man. "I'll take care of everything you need. Only don't spend the night in the square."
Judges 19:21
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So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. Then they washed their feet and ate and drank.(i)
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Judges 19:22
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While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden, perverted men of the city(j) surrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the owner of the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him!"
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Judges 19:23
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The owner of the house went out and said to them, "No, don't do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don't do this horrible thing.(k)
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Judges 19:24
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Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter(l) and the man's concubine now. Use them(m) and do whatever you want[h] to them. But don't do this horrible thing to this man."
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Judges 19:25
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But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They raped[i] her and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go.
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Judges 19:26
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Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light, she collapsed at the doorway of the man's house where her master was.
Judges 19:27
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When her master got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold.
Judges 19:28
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"Get up," he told her. "Let's go." But there was no response.(n) So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
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Judges 19:29
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When he entered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into 12 pieces, limb by limb, and then sent her throughout the territory of Israel.
Judges 19:30
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Everyone who saw it said, "Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day.[j] Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!"
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Judges 20:1
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All the Israelites from Dan to Beer-sheba(a) and from the land of Gilead came out, and the community assembled as one body before the Lord at Mizpah.(b)
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Judges 20:2
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The leaders(c) of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: 400,000 armed foot soldiers.
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Judges 20:3
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The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites asked, "Tell us, how did this outrage occur?"
Judges 20:4
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The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: "I went to Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night.
Judges 20:5
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Citizens of Gibeah ganged up on me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, but they raped my concubine, and she died.
Judges 20:6
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Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout Israel's territory, because they committed a horrible shame(d) in Israel.
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Judges 20:7
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Look, all of you are Israelites. Give your judgment and verdict here and now."
Judges 20:8
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Then all the people stood united and said, "None of us will go to his tent or return to his house.
Judges 20:9
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Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go against it by lot.
Judges 20:10
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We will take 10 men out of every 100 from all the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of every 1,000, and 1,000 out of every 10,000 to get provisions for the people when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for all the horror they did in Israel."
Judges 20:11
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So all the men of Israel gathered united against the city.
Judges 20:12
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Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this outrage that has occurred among you?
Judges 20:13
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Hand over the perverted men in Gibeah so we can put them to death and eradicate evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites would not obey their fellow Israelites.
Judges 20:14
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Instead, the Benjaminites gathered together from their cities to Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.
Judges 20:15
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On that day the Benjaminites rallied 26,000 armed men(e) from their cities, besides 700 choice men rallied by the inhabitants of Gibeah.
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Judges 20:16
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There were 700 choice men who were left-handed among all these people; all could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
Judges 20:17
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The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, rallied 400,000 armed men, every one an experienced warrior.
Judges 20:18
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They set out, went to Bethel, and inquired of God.(f) The Israelites asked, "Who is to go first to fight for us against the Benjaminites?" And the Lord answered, "Judah will be first."
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Judges 20:19
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In the morning, the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.
Judges 20:20
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The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took their battle positions against Gibeah.
Judges 20:21
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The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered 22,000 men of Israel on the field that day.
Judges 20:22
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But the Israelite army rallied and again took their battle positions in the same place where they positioned themselves on the first day.
Judges 20:23
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They went up, wept(g) before the Lord until evening, and inquired of Him: "Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites?" And the Lord answered: "Fight against them."
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Judges 20:24
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On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites.
Judges 20:25
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That same day the Benjaminites came out from Gibeah to meet them and slaughtered an additional 18,000 Israelites on the field; all were armed men.
Judges 20:26
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The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the Lord .(h) They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord .
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Judges 20:27
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Then the Israelites inquired of the Lord . In those days, the ark of the covenant(i) of God was there,
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Judges 20:28
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and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked: "Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop?" The Lord answered: "Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow."(j)
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Judges 20:29
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So Israel set up an ambush(k) around Gibeah.
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Judges 20:30
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On the third day the Israelites fought against the Benjaminites and took their battle positions against Gibeah as before.
Judges 20:31
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Then the Benjaminites came out against the people and were drawn away from the city.(l) They began to attack the people as before, killing about 30 men of Israel on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah through the open country.
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Judges 20:32
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The Benjaminites said, "We are defeating them as before." But the Israelites said, "Let's flee and draw them away from the city to the highways."
Judges 20:33
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So all the men of Israel got up from their places and took their battle positions at Baal-tamar, while the Israelites in ambush charged out of their places west of[a] Geba.(m)
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Judges 20:34
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Then 10,000 choice men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was about to strike them.
Judges 20:35
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The Lord defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 men of Benjamin; all were armed men.
Judges 20:36
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Then the Benjaminites realized they had been defeated. The men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin, because they were confident in the ambush they had set against Gibeah.
Judges 20:37
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The men in ambush had rushed quickly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
Judges 20:38
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The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,
Judges 20:39
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the men of Israel would return to the battle. When Benjamin had begun to strike them down, killing about 30 men of Israel, they said, "They're defeated before us, just as they were in the first battle."(n)
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Judges 20:40
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But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, Benjamin looked behind them, and the whole city was going up in smoke.[b]
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Judges 20:41
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Then the men of Israel returned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had struck them.
Judges 20:42
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They retreated before the men of Israel toward the wilderness,(o) but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities[c] slaughtered those between them.
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Judges 20:43
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They surrounded the Benjaminites, pursued them, and easily overtook them near Gibeah toward the east.
Judges 20:44
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There were 18,000 men who died from Benjamin; all were warriors.
Judges 20:45
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Then Benjamin turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon,(p) and Israel killed 5,000 men on the highways. They overtook them at Gidom and struck 2,000 more dead.
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Judges 20:46
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All the Benjaminites who died that day were 25,000 armed men; all were warriors.
Judges 20:47
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But 600 men escaped into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and stayed there four months.
Judges 20:48
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The men of Israel turned back against the other Benjaminites and killed them with their swords—the entire city, the animals, and everything that remained. They also burned down all the cities that remained.
Judges 21:1
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The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah: "None of us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage."(a)
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Judges 21:2
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So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God(b) until evening. They wept loudly and bitterly,
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Judges 21:3
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and cried out, "Why, Lord God of Israel, has it occurred[a] that one tribe is missing in Israel today?"
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Judges 21:4
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The next day the people got up early, built an altar there,(c) and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
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Judges 21:5
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The Israelites asked, "Who of all the tribes of Israel didn't come to the Lord with the assembly?" For a great oath had been taken that anyone who had not come to the Lord at Mizpah would certainly be put to death.
Judges 21:6
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But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, "Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel.
Judges 21:7
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What should we do about wives for the survivors? We've sworn to the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives."
Judges 21:8
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They asked, "Which city among the tribes of Israel didn't come to the Lord at Mizpah?" It turned out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp and the assembly.
Judges 21:9
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For when the people were counted, no one was there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.
Judges 21:10
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The congregation sent 12,000 brave warriors[b] there and commanded them: "Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword,(d) including women and children.
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Judges 21:11
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This is what you should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every female who has slept with a man."
Judges 21:12
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They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young women, who had not had sexual relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
Judges 21:13
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The whole congregation sent a message of peace(e) to the Benjaminites who were at the rock of Rimmon.
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Judges 21:14
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Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them.
Judges 21:15
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The people had compassion on Benjamin, because the Lord had made this gap in the tribes of Israel.
Judges 21:16
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The elders of the congregation said, "What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?"
Judges 21:17
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They said, "There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
Judges 21:18
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But we can't give them our daughters as wives." For the Israelites had sworn, "Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite is cursed."
Judges 21:19
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They also said, "Look, there's an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh,(f) which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."
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Judges 21:20
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Then they commanded the Benjaminites: "Go and hide in the vineyards.
Judges 21:21
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Watch, and when you see the young women of Shiloh come out to perform the dances,(g) each of you leave the vineyards and catch a wife for yourself from the young women of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
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Judges 21:22
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When their fathers or brothers come to us and protest, we will tell them, ‘Show favor to them, since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the battle. You didn't actually give the women to them, so[c] you are not guilty of breaking your oath.'"
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Judges 21:23
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The Benjaminites did this and took the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities,(h) and lived in them.
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Judges 21:24
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At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there to his own inheritance.
Judges 21:25
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In those days there was no king in Israel;(i) everyone did whatever he wanted.[d]
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