12 Bible Verses about Warfare, Strategies In

And I and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city. And when they come out against us, as at the first time, then will we flee before them.

And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and gave every man a trumpet in his hand, with an empty pitcher and lamps therein,

For the children of Benjamin thought that the other had been beaten before them, as at the first time. But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and pluck them away from the city, unto the highways."

When Abram heard that his brother was taken, he harnessed his servants born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and followed till they came at Dan.

Then was Jacob greatly afraid, and wist not which way to turn himself, and divided the people that was with him and the sheep, oxen and camels, into two companies,

And then Joshua arose and all the men of war, to go up unto Ai. And Joshua chose out thirty thousand men of war, and sent them by night. And he commanded them, saying, "See that ye lie await unto the town on the backside thereof. Go not very far from the city, and see that ye be all ready. And I and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city. And when they come out against us, as at the first time, then will we flee before them.read more.
And they will come out after us, until we have plucked them away from the city. For they will say, 'They flee before us, as at the first time': for we will flee before them. Then shall ye rise up from lying await and destroy the city: For the LORD your God will deliver it into your hands. As soon, therefore, as ye have taken the city, see that ye set it on fire. According to the commandment of the LORD see that ye do: behold, I have charged you." And Joshua sent them forth, and they went to lie await, and lay between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai. But Joshua lodged that night among the people. And he rose up early in the morning and numbered the people and went up, both he and the elders of Israel before the people, unto Ai. And all the men of war that were with him, went up and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai, a valley being between them and Ai, and he took upon a five thousand men and put them to lie await, between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. And he put the people, even all the host, on the north side of the city, and the lyers-await on the west. And Joshua went the same night into the midst of the valley. And when the king of Ai saw that they hasted and rose up early, then the people of the city went out against Israel, to battle, both the king and all his people, at a time appointed, even before the plain, and wist not that there were lyers-await on the backside of the city. And Joshua and Israel were put to the worse before them, and fled toward the wilderness. And all the people of the town cried to follow after them. And they followed after Joshua till they were drawn away from the city: So that there was not a man left in Ai, or in Bethel, that went not out after Israel. And they left the city open and followed after Israel. Then the LORD said unto Joshua, "Stretch out the spear that is in thine hand toward Ai, for I have given thee it." And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand, toward the city. And the lyers-await rose quickly out of their places, and ran, as soon as Joshua had stretched out his hand, and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set it on fire. And when the men of Ai looked back after them and saw, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven. And they had no place to flee either this way or that, for the people that fled to the wilderness turned back again upon the followers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the lyers-await had taken the city and that the smoke of it ascended, they turned again and laid on the men of Ai. And the other issued out of the city against them. And so were they in the midst of Israel, these being on the one side of them, and the rest on the other. And they laid upon them, so that they let none either remain or escape. And the king of Ai they took alive and brought him to Joshua. And when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabiters of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness by which they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were wasted, then all Israel returned unto Ai and smote it with the edge of the sword. And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.

And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and gave every man a trumpet in his hand, with an empty pitcher and lamps therein, and said unto them, "Look on me and do likewise: and behold, when I come to the side of the host, even as I do, so do you. And when I blow with a trumpet, and all that are with me, blow ye with trumpets also on every side the host and say, 'Here be the LORD and Gideon.'"read more.
And so Gideon, and the three hundred men that were with him, came unto the side of the host in the beginning of the middle watch, and raised up the watchmen. And they blew with their trumpets and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And all three companies blew with trumpets and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right, to blow with all. And they cried, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!" And they stood still, every man in his place round about the host. And all the host ran and cried and fled. And as the three hundred blew with trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword upon his neighbour, throughout all the host. And the host fled until they came to Bethshittah, to Zererah, and to the edge of Abelmeholah beside Tabbath. And the men of Israel gathered together of the tribe of Naphtali, of Asher, and of all Manasseh, and followed after the Midianites.

And Israel set layers await against Gibeah round about. And the children of Israel went against the children of Benjamin the third time, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as twice before. Then came the children of Benjamin against the people, till they were drawn a great way from the city. And they began to smite of the people dead - as twice before, by two highways of which one goeth up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah through the field - upon a thirty men of Israel.read more.
For the children of Benjamin thought that the other had been beaten before them, as at the first time. But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and pluck them away from the city, unto the highways." And then all the men of Israel rose up out of their standing, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar. And likewise the layers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah, and came before Gibeah: ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and there was sore battle. But the other knew not that evil was so nigh them. And the LORD plagued Benjamin before Israel, so that the children of Israel destroyed in Benjamin the same day twenty five thousand and a hundred men, that drew swords every one of them. It seemed the children of Benjamin, that the other had been put to the worse. For the men of Israel gave room to Benjamin, because they trusted unto the layers in wait which they had laid against Gibeah. And the layers in wait hasted and ran upon Gibeah, and went and smote all the city with the edge of the sword. And the appointment of the men of Israel with the layers in wait to run upon Benjamin with the sword, was when they should make the smoke rise up out of the city. And the men of Israel fled in the battle. And Benjamin began to smite dead of the children of Israel, about a thirty persons, for they supposed that the other had been put to the worse before them, as in the first battle. Then began to arise out of the city, a pillar of smoke. And the Benjamites looked back: and behold, the wasting of the whole city began to ascend up to heaven. When the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were abashed: for they saw that evil approached them. And they turned before the men of Israel into the way that leadeth to the wilderness, the other following them at the hard heels. And beside that they of the city destroyed them in the middle of them. And they compassed Benjamin about, and chased them to Menuah, and overran them before Gibeah on the east side.

When David was come to the top of the mount and had bowed himself unto God: behold, Hushai the Archite came against him with his coat torn and earth upon his head. Unto whom David said, "If thou go with me thou shalt be a burden unto me. And if thou return to the city: then shalt thou say unto Absalom, 'I will be thy servant O king: thus long have I been thy father's servant, and now I am thine,' and destroy me the counsel of Ahithophel.

Then said Hushai to Absalom, "The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. For," said Hushai, "thou knowest thy father and the men that are with him, how that they be strong men. And they be chafed in their minds, even as a bear robbed of her whelps. And thy father is a man practiced in war, and will not lie a nights among the common people. Behold, he lurketh now in some cave or in some other place. And thereto, though some of his men be overthrown at the first brunt, yet they that hear it will think the people that followeth Absalom be put to the worse.read more.
By the reason whereof, the best men thou hast whose hearts are as the hearts of lions, shall shrink thereat. For all Israel knoweth that thy father is a man, and that they which be with him be children of activity. But my counsel is, that all Israel be gathered unto thee, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand of the sea in number, and that thou go to battle in thine own person. And we will come upon him in one place or other, where we shalt find him, and we will pitch a field against him, even as thick as the dew falleth on the ground. And there shall not one of them be left, neither he nor any of all that are with him. Moreover, if he take a town then shall all the men of Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one stone found upon another." And Absalom and all the men of Israel said that the counsel of Hushai the Archite was better than the counsel of Ahithophel - For it was even the LORD's determination to destroy the counsel of Ahithophel, which was good, that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

This is the heavy burden upon Moab: Ar of Moab was destroyed and overthrown in the night season: Kir also, in Moab, perished in the night and vanished away.

"Arise, let us go up by night, and destroy her strongholds!"