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Tuesday, July 29th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Judges 20:32

Then thought the childre of Ben Iamin: They are smytten before vs like as afore. But the childre of Israel sayde: Let vs flye, that we maie prouoke them out of the cite in to the hye stretes.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambush;   Armies;   Strategy;   Thompson Chain Reference - War;   War-Peace;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Benjamin, Tribe of;   Highways;   Jews, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Benjamin;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Gibeah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ambush;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Benjamin;   Marriage;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gibeah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Benjaminites said, “We are defeating them as before.”
Hebrew Names Version
The children of Binyamin said, They are struck down before us, as at the first. But the children of Yisra'el said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
And the descendants of Benjamin thought, "They are being defeated before us as previously," and the Israelites said, "Let us flee and lure them away from the city to the main roads."
English Standard Version
And the people of Benjamin said, "They are routed before us, as at the first." But the people of Israel said, "Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways."
New Century Version
The Benjaminites said, "We are winning as before!" But the Israelites said, "Let's run. Let's trick them into going farther away from their city and onto the roads."
New English Translation
Then the Benjaminites said, "They are defeated just as before." But the Israelites said, "Let's retreat and lure them away from the city into the main roads."
Amplified Bible
And the Benjamites said, "They are defeated before us, as at the first." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee and lure them away from the city to the highways."
New American Standard Bible
And the sons of Benjamin said, "They are defeated before us, like the first time." But the sons of Israel said, "Let's flee, so that we may draw them away from the city to the roads."
Geneva Bible (1587)
(For the children of Beniamin sayd, They are fallen before vs, as at the first. But the children of Israel saide, Let vs flee and plucke them away from the citie vnto the hie wayes)
Legacy Standard Bible
Toe dink die kinders van Benjamin: Hulle is voor ons verslaan soos die eerste keer! Maar die kinders van Israel het gesê: Laat ons vlug en hom van die stad afsny na die grootpaaie toe.
Complete Jewish Bible
The army of Binyamin said, "They're defeated, just as before." But the army of Isra'el said, "Let's run off and draw them away from the city onto the roads."
Darby Translation
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. And the children of Israel said, Let us flee, that we may draw them from the city to the highways.
Easy-to-Read Version
The men of Benjamin said, "We are winning as before!" The men of Israel were running away, but it was a trick. They wanted to lead the men of Benjamin away from their city and onto the roads.
George Lamsa Translation
And the Benjamites said, They are defeated before us, as at first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways.
Good News Translation
The Benjaminites said, "We've beaten them just as before." But the Israelites had planned to retreat and lead them away from the city onto the roads.
Literal Translation
And the sons of Benjamin said, They are destroyed before us as at the beginning. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee and draw them away out of the city, into the highways.
American Standard Version
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 away from the city unto the highways.
Bible in Basic English
And the children of Benjamin said, They are giving way before us as at first. But the children of Israel said, Let us go in flight and get them away from the town, into the highways.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
(And the children of Beniamin sayde: They are fallen before vs, as at the first. But the children of Israel sayd: Let vs flee, and plucke them away from the citie, vnto the hye wayes.)
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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 away from the city unto the highways.'
King James Version (1611)
And the children of Beniamin said, They are smitten downe before vs, as at the first: But the children of Israel said, Let vs flee, and draw them from the citie, vnto the high wayes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us as at the first: but the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them out from the city into the roads; and they did so.
English Revised Version
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us rise, and draw them away from the city unto the highways.
Berean Standard Bible
"We are defeating them as before," said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for thei gessiden to sle hem `bi customable maner; whiche `feyneden fliyt bi craft, and token counsel, that thei schulden drawe hem fro the citee, and that thei as fleynge schulden brynge to the forseid paththis.
Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Benjamin say, `They are smitten before us as at the beginning;' but the sons of Israel said, `Let us flee, and draw them away out of the city, unto the highways.'
Update Bible Version
And the sons of Benjamin said, They are being smitten down before us, as at the first. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
The children of Benjamin said, They are struck down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways.
New King James Version
And the children of Benjamin said, "They are defeated before us, as at first." But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways."
New Living Translation
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.
New Life Bible
The sons of Benjamin said, "They are being killed in front of us as they were the first day." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us run away so we can get them away from the city and to the roads."
New Revised Standard
The Benjaminites thought, "They are being routed before us, as previously." But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city toward the roads."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the sons of Benjamin, They are, being smitten, before us, as at the first. But the sons of Israel had said - Let us flee, and draw them away from the city, into the highways.
Douay-Rheims Bible
For they thought to cut them off as they did before. But they artfully feigning a flight, designed to draw them away from the city, and by their seeming to flee, to bring them to the highways aforesaid.
Revised Standard Version
And the Benjaminites said, "They are routed before us, as at the first." But the men of Israel said, "Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways."
THE MESSAGE
The Benjaminites started bragging, "We're dropping them like flies, just as before!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The sons of Benjamin said, "They are struck down before us, as at the first." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways."

Contextual Overview

26 Then wente all the children of Israel vp, and all the people, and came to the house of God, and wepte, and taried there before the LORDE, & fasted that daye vntyll the euen, and offred burntofferynges and deedofferinges before the LORDE. 27 And the children of Israel axed at the LORDE (the Arke of the couenaunt of God was there at that tyme, 28 and Phineas the sonne of Eleasar the sonne of Aaron stode before him at the same tyme) & they sayde: Shal we go forth eny more to fighte with oure brethren the childre of Ben Iamin, or shal we leaue of? The LORDE sayde: Go vp, tomorow wyll I delyuer them in to youre handes. 29 And the children of Israel set a preuy watch agaynst Gibea rounde aboute, 30 and so the children of Israel wente vp to the children of Ben Iamin on the thirde daye, and set them selues in araye agaynst Gibea like as the other two tymes afore. 31 The came the children of Ben Iamin out agaynst the people, & brake out of the cite, & beganne to slaye certayne wounded of the people (like as the other two times afore) in the felde vpon two stretes: wherof one goeth towarde Bethel, the other vnto Gilead vpon a thirtye men in Israel. 32 Then thought the childre of Ben Iamin: They are smytten before vs like as afore. But the childre of Israel sayde: Let vs flye, that we maie prouoke them out of the cite in to the hye stretes. 33 Then all the men of Israel gat them vp from their place, and prepared them selues vnto Baal Thamar. And the hinder watch of Israel brake out of their place, from ye caue of Gaba, 34 and came vnto Gibea, twentye thousande chosen men out of all Israel, so that it was a sore battayll: but they knewe not that the euell shulde happen vnto them. 35 Thus the LORDE smote BenIamin before the children of Israel, so that the same daye the children of Israel destroyed fyue & twentye thousande and an hundreth men in Ben Iamin, which all drue the swerde.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Let us flee: This was done, not only because they had placed an ambuscade behind Gibeah, which was to enter and burn the city as soon as the Benjamites left it; but it would seem, that the slingers, by being within the city and its fortifications, had great advantage over the Israelites by their slings, when they could not come among them with their swords, unless they got them in the plain country. Joshua 8:15, Joshua 8:16

Reciprocal: Joshua 8:6 - They flee 2 Samuel 17:9 - some

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the children of Benjamin said, they are smitten down before us, as at first,.... At the first battle, which gave them great spirit, and they concluded they should have victory, as before:

but the children of Israel said, let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways; pretending to be afraid of them, and not able to face them, and therefore made as if they fled through fear and cowardice, which inspired the Benjaminites with fresh ardour to pursue them closely, and so were drawn from the city to the highways, as expressed in the preceding verse.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 20:32. Let us - draw them from the city — They had two reasons for this:

1. They had placed an ambuscade behind Gibeah, which was to enter and burn the city as soon as the Benjamites had left it.

2. It would seem that the slingers, by being within the city and its fortifications, had great advantage against the Israelites by their slings, whom they could not annoy with their swords, unless they got them to the plain country.


 
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