April 14 – Judges 21:13-25 13  Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them.   14  And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them.   15  And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the  Lord  had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 16  Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”   17  And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.   18  Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the people of Israel had sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”   19  So they said, “Behold, there is the yearly feast of the...

April 13 – Judges 21:1-12 1   Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.”   2  And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.   3  And they said, “O  Lord , the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?”   4  And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.   5  And the people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the  Lord ?” For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the  Lord  to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”   6  And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel this day....

April 12 – Judges 20:37-48 37  Then the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush moved out and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.   38  Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city   39  the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”   40  But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven.   41  Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them.   42  Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness, but ...

April 11 – Judges 20:29-36 29  So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.   30  And the people of Israel went up against the people of Benjamin on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.   31  And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.   32  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.”   33  And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel who were in ambush rushed out of their place from Maareh-geba.   34  And there came against Gibeah 10,000 ch...

April 10 – Judges 20:19-28 19  Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.   20  And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.   21  The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.   22  But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.   23  And the people of Israel went up and wept before the  Lord  until the evening. And they inquired of the  Lord , “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the  Lord  said, “Go up against them.” 24  So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day.   25  And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,00...

April 9 – Judges 20:12-18 2  And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you?   13  Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gieah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.   14  Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel.   15  And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day 26,000 men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered 700 chosen men.   16  Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.   17  And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war. 18...

April 8 – Judges 20:1-11 1  Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the  Lord  at Mizpah.   2  And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword.   3  (Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?”   4  And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.   5  And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.   6  So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces a...