Jo’s Place

Israel Destroys Benjamin  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, who were 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 Benjamin’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 maneuve...

Israel Battles Benjamin  Before the battle, the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God,  “Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Benjamin?”  The Lord answered, “Judah is to go first.”  So, the Israelites left early the next morning …and camped near Gibeah.  Then, they advanced toward Gibeah, to attack the men of Benjamin.  But Benjamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed 22,000 Israelites, on the battlefield that day.  But, the Israelites encouraged each other …and they took their positions again, at the same place, where they had fought the previous day.  For they had gone up to Bethel,    and wept, in the presence of the Lord, until evening.  They had asked the Lord,  “Should we fight against our relatives, from Benjamin, again?”  And the Lord had said,  “Go out and fight against them.”  So, the next day, they went out again, to fight against the men of Benjamin, but the m...

Israel’s War with Benjamin Then, all the Israelites were united, as one man, from Dan, in the north, to Beersheba, in the south, including those, from across the Jordan, in the land of Gilead.  The entire community assembled, in the presence of the Lord, at Mizpah.  The leaders, of all the people, and all the tribes of Israel—400,000 warriors armed, with swords—took their positions, in the assembly of the people of God.  ( Word soon reached the land of Benjamin, that the other tribes had gone up to Mizpah. )  The Israelites, then asked, how this terrible crime had happened.  The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said,  “My concubine and I came to spend the night, in Gibeah, a town that belongs, to the people of Benjamin.  That night, some of the leading citizens of Gibeah, surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine, until she was dead.  So, I cut her body into twelve pieces, and sent the pieces thr...

The Pieces of the Concubine  That evening an old man came home, from his work in the fields.  He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah, where the people were from the tribe of Benjamin.  When he saw the travelers, sitting in the town square, he asked them where they were from, and where they were going.  “We have been in Bethlehem, in Judah,” the man replied.  “We are on our way to a remote area, in the hill country of Ephraim, which is my home.  I traveled to Bethlehem, and now I’m returning home.  But no one has taken us in, for the night, even though we have everything we need.  We have straw and feed, for our donkeys, and plenty of bread and wine, for ourselves.”  “You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man said.  “I will give you anything, that you might need.  But whatever you do, don’t spend the night in the square.”  So, he took them home with him, and fed the donkeys.  After they was...