25 Bible Verses about Sieges

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.

and they took it that same day and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were in it he utterly destroyed that same day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

In that same day Joshua took Makkedah and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them and all the souls that were therein; he let no one remain; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.

and the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hands of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword and all the souls that were therein; he let no one remain in it, but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.

and the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day and smote it with the edge of the sword and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

Then said Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy slaves in the Syrian language, for we understand it, and do not talk with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

and if the king begins to be angry and he should say unto thee, Why did you approach so near unto the city when ye fought? Did ye not know that which they can throw down from the wall? Who smote Abimelech, the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall? Then thou shalt say, Thy slave Uriah, the Hittite, is dead also.

Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to make them afraid and to trouble them, that they might take the city.

And they called the king, and Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the writer of chronicles went out to them.

And he sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, into the city and said unto him, Thus hath Benhadad said, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.

Thou sayest (but they are but vain words), I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me?

He that is far off shall die of the pestilence, and he that is near shall fall by the sword, and he that remains and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury in them.

And on the ninth of the month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, a woman cried unto him, saying, Save me, my lord, O king. And he said, If the LORD does not save thee, from where shall I save thee? Out of the threshingfloor, or out of the winepress? And the king said unto her, What ails thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow. read more.
So we boiled my son and ate him. And I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son that we may eat him. But she has hid her son.

Then Benhadad, the king of Syria, gathered all his host together; and there were thirty-two kings with him and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria and warred against it.

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years.

And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad, king of Syria, gathered all his host and went up and besieged Samaria.

Also he strengthened himself and built up all the wall that was broken and caused the towers to be raised up, and another wall outside, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made swords and shields in abundance.

Ye have also seen the breaches of the city of David that they are multiplied, and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye have broken down houses to fortify the wall.

Now, therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

After these things and after this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities and thought to break them up.

And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab and his slaves with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

And Joab fought against Rabbah, of the sons of Ammon, and took the royal city. Then Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah and have taken the city of waters. Now, therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it lest I take the city, and it be called after my name. read more.
And David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it.

At that time the slaves of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came, he and all his host, against Jerusalem and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

Behold the siege engines are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans that fight against it because of the sword and of the famine and of the pestilence, and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou dost see it.

And it was so on the next day that Saul put the people in order in three companies, and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day, and it came to pass that those who remained were scattered so that two of them were not left together.

So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

And David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it.

and they took it that same day and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were in it he utterly destroyed that same day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramothgilead.

And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which was beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke unto them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said unto him, Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; do not make all the people to labour there; for they are but few. So about three thousand men of the people went up there; and they fled before the men of Ai.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed; take all the people of war with thee and arise; go up to Ai. See, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai and his people and his city and his land. And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king; only the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof, ye shall take for yourselves. Lay thee an ambush for the city behind it. So Joshua arose and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour and sent them away by night. read more.
And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city; do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. And I and all the people that are with me, will approach the city; and when they come out against us, as at the first, we will flee before them (for they will come out after us) until we have raptured them out of the city; for they will say, They flee before us as at the first. Therefore, we will flee before them. Then ye shall rise up from the ambush and take possession of the city; for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. And when ye have taken the city, ye shall set the city on fire. Ye shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you. Then Joshua sent them forth, and they went to lie in ambush and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; and Joshua lodged that night in the midst of the people. And Joshua rose up early in the morning and numbered the people and went up he and the elders of Israel, before the people against Ai. And all the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew near and came before the city and pitched camp on the north side of Ai; now there was a valley between them and Ai. And he took about five thousand men and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. And the people, all the camp that was on the side of the north came near to the city, and their ambush on the west of the city. And Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. When the king of Ai saw it, he rose up early in the morning and made haste with the men of the city to go out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. Then Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them and fled by the way of the wilderness. And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua and were raptured from the city. And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel that did not go out after Israel; and because they pursued after Israel, they left the city open. Then the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city. And those of the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand; and they entered into the city and took it and made haste to set the city on fire.

And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his hammers he shall break down thy towers.

and lay siege against it and build a fort against it and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.

He shall slay with the sword thy daughters who are in the field; and he shall make a fort against thee and cast a mount against thee and lift up the buckler against thee.

and lay siege against it and build a fort against it and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.

And Abimelech rose up and all the people that were with him, by night, and they put an ambush against Shechem in four companies.

And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he took the city and slew the people that were therein and beat down the city and sowed it with salt.

So he sent horsemen and chariots there and a great host, who came by night and compassed the city about.

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is near.

When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them, for thou may eat of them; and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege. Only the trees which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that makes war with thee, until it is subdued.

he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were outside the city, and they helped him. So many people gathered together, and they stopped up all the fountains and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?

And he set captains of war over the people and gathered them together to him in the plaza of the gate of the city and spoke unto their heart, saying, Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people were upheld by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

Come against her from the ends of the earth, open her storehouses; cast her up as heaps and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left. Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fenced walls come down, in which thou dost trust, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God has given thee.

And Joshua passed from Libnah and all Israel with him unto Lachish and encamped against it and fought against it; and the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day and smote it with the edge of the sword and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

And it came to pass when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the Negev and Ziklag and had smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire. And they had taken the women captives that were therein, from the youngest to the oldest; they did not kill any but carried them away and went on their way.

Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him unto Libnah and fought against Libnah; and the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hands of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword and all the souls that were therein; he let no one remain in it, but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.

And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon and all Israel with him, and they encamped against it and fought against it; and they took it that same day and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were in it he utterly destroyed that same day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

And Joshua returned and all Israel with him to Debir and fought against it; and he took it and the king thereof and all the cities thereof, and they smote them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the souls that were in it; he left no one remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and to the king thereof, as he had done also to Libnah and to her king.

And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it; and they took it and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof and all the cities thereof and all the souls that were in it; he left no one remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon, but destroyed it utterly and all the souls that were therein.

Then Nahash, the Ammonite, came up and encamped against Jabeshgilead. And all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. And Nahash, the Ammonite, answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the borders of Israel, and then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to thee.

Set up the banner upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes; for the LORD has deliberated and shall put into effect that which he spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.

And he took the people and divided them into three companies and set ambushes in the field and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them and smote them. And Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood in the entering of the gate of the city, and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields and slew them.

A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

Now, therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

In the days of Pekah, king of Israel, came Tiglathpileser, king of Assyria, and took Ijon, Abelbethmaachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali and carried them captive to Assyria.

Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fenced cities of Judah and took them.

Then Nahash, the Ammonite, came up and encamped against Jabeshgilead. And all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.

In the year twenty-seven of Asa, king of Judah, Zimri began to reign in Tirzah, and he reigned seven days. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

And Omri went up from Gibbethon and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

But the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given Jericho and its king into thy hand, with its mighty men of valour. Therefore, ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, going round about the city once; and thou shalt do this six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven shofarot of jubilee; and the seventh day ye shall go around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the shofarot. read more.
And when they make a long sound of jubilee with the horn so that ye hear the voice of the shofar, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat; then the people shall ascend up each man straight before him. And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven shofarot of jubilee before the ark of the LORD. And he said unto the people, Pass on and compass the city and let those that are armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. And when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven shofarot of jubilee passed on before the LORD and blew with the shofarot; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the shofarot, and the congregation came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the shofarot. And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, Shout; then ye shall shout. So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp. And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. And the seven priests bearing the seven shofarot of jubilee before the ark of the LORD walked continually, and blew with the shofarot; and the armed men went before them; but the congregation came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on and blowing with the shofarot. Likewise the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp; so they did for six days. And on the seventh day they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And when the priests had blown the shofarot the seventh time, Joshua said unto the people, Shout, for the LORD has given you the city. And the city shall be anathema unto the LORD, even it, and all the things that are in it; only Rahab, the harlot, shall live, she and all that are with her in the house because she hid the messengers that we sent. But keep yourselves from the anathema, that ye not touch nor take any thing of the anathema so that ye not make the camp of Israel anathema and trouble it. For all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. Then the people shouted when the priests blew with the shofarot, and it came to pass when the people heard the voice of the shofar, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, each man straight before him and they took the city.

Therefore, thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city nor shoot an arrow there nor come before it with shield nor cast a bank against it.

And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with a multitude of peoples, which shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about, and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee according to their laws.

I have dug and drunk the waters of others, and with the sole of my feet I have dried up all the rivers of defended places.

Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: and yet neither he nor his army had wages of Tyre, for the service that he had served against her.

And I will send unto Babylon fanners that shall fan her and shall empty her land; for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.

For, behold, I awake and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country, and from there they shall set themselves in array against her; she shall be taken; their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert one, who shall not return in vain.

Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fenced cities of Judah and took them.

In that same day Joshua took Makkedah and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them and all the souls that were therein; he let no one remain; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came, he and all his host, against Jerusalem and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years.

Then Abimelech went to Thebez and laid siege against Thebez and took it.

And Abimelech rose up and all the people that were with him, by night, and they put an ambush against Shechem in four companies.

Thou hast formed my face and my insides and laid thine hand upon me.

And those of the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand; and they entered into the city and took it and made haste to set the city on fire.

And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he took the city and slew the people that were therein and beat down the city and sowed it with salt.

And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he took the city and slew the people that were therein and beat down the city and sowed it with salt.

Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brickkiln.

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the sons of Israel; no one went out, and no one came in.

For the days shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and constrain thee on every side

And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

Now thou shalt be besieged by armies, O daughter of the army: he shall lay siege against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

Like the thunder of chariots they shall leap over the tops of mountains, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.