Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 90
78
IMMERSE
•
KINGDOMS
20:32–21:2
Then the warriors of Benjamin shouted, “We’re defeating them as we
did before!” But the Israelites had planned in advance to run away so that
the men of Benjamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn
away from the town.
When the main group of Israelite warriors reached Baal-tamar, they
turned and took up their positions. Meanwhile, the Israelites hiding in
ambush to the west of Gibeah jumped up to fight. There were 10,000 elite
Israelite troops who advanced against Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy
that Benjamin didn’t realize the impending disaster. So the Lord helped
Israel defeat Benjamin, and that day the Israelites killed 25,100 of Benja
min’s warriors, all of whom were experienced swordsmen. Then the men
of Benjamin saw that they were beaten.
The Israelites had retreated from Benjamin’s warriors in order to give
those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver against Gibeah. Then
those who were hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the
town. They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town
as a signal. When the Israelites saw the smoke, they turned and attacked
Benjamin’s warriors.
By that time Benjamin’s warriors had killed about thirty Israelites, and
they shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did in the first battle!” But
when the warriors of Benjamin looked behind them and saw the smoke
rising into the sky from every part of the town, the men of Israel turned
and attacked. At this point the men of Benjamin became terrified, because they realized disaster was close at hand. So they turned around and
fled before the Israelites toward the wilderness. But they couldn’t escape
the battle, and the people who came out of the nearby towns were also
killed. The Israelites surrounded the men of Benjamin and chased them
relentlessly, finally overtaking them east of Gibeah. That day 18,000 of
Benjamin’s strongest warriors died in battle. The survivors fled into the
wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon, but Israel killed 5,000 of them
along the road. They continued the chase until they had killed another
2,000 near Gidom.
So that day the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 strong warriors armed
with swords, leaving only 600 men who escaped to the rock of Rim
mon, where they lived for four months. And the Israelites returned and
slaughtered every living thing in all the t owns—the people, the livestock,
and everything they found. They also burned down all the towns they
came to.
The Israelites had vowed at Mizpah, “We will never give our daughters in
marriage to a man from the tribe of Benjamin.” Now the people went to
Bethel and sat in the presence of God until evening, weeping loudly and