Thematic Bible: Captive


Thematic Bible



Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites, Samuel said. Agag came to him trembling. Surely, the bitterness of death is past, Agag said. But Samuel said: As your sword made women childless, so your mother will be made childless among women. Samuel cut Agag in pieces in the presence of Jehovah at Gilgal.

He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening. As soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they take his carcass down from the tree and throw it at the entering gate of the city. They raised a large pile of rocks over it that is there to this day.

Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon: Kill us yourself. It takes a man to do this job. Gideon killed them and took the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

The Israelites took the Midianite women and children as prisoners of war. They also took all their animals, their livestock, and their valuables as loot. They burned the cities where the Midianites lived and all their settlements. They took everything as loot including all the people and animals, read more.
and brought the prisoners of war, the loot, and everything to Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. Moses, the priest Eleazar, and all the leaders of the congregation went outside the camp to meet them. Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of the companies and battalions, who were returning from battle. Moses asked them: Have you spared all the women? Look, these women caused the Israelites, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor. Thus the congregation of Jehovah experienced the plague. So kill all the Midianite boys and every Midianite woman who has gone to bed with a man. But keep alive for yourselves every girl who has never gone to bed with a man. Everyone who killed a person or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp seven days. You and your prisoners of war must use the ritual water on the third and seventh days in order to take away your sin. You must do the same for all the clothes and everything made of leather, goats' hair, or wood.

When Jehovah your God lets you capture the city, kill every man in it.

When you go to war with your enemies and Jehovah your God hands them over to you, you may take them captive.

All Israel returned with Joshua to the camp at Gilgal. These five kings ran away and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah. Joshua was told: The five kings are found hidden in a cave at Makkedah. read more.
Joshua said: Roll large stones in front of the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them. Do not stay there but pursue after your enemies and strike the rear guard. Do not enter their cities for Jehovah your God has delivered them into your hand. When Joshua and the children of Israel finished slaying them those who escaped entered the fortified cities. All the people returned in peace to Joshua's at Makkedah. No one spoke against any of the children of Israel. Then Joshua said: Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me. They did so, and brought the five kings to him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. When they brought out the kings to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him: Come near, put your feet on the back of the necks of (humiliate) (abase) these kings. They came near, and put their feet upon their necks. Joshua said: Do not be afraid. Do not be terrified! Be strong and have courage: for this is what Jehovah will do to all your enemies against whom you fight. Afterward Joshua struck and killed them. He hanged them on five trees: and they hung on the trees until evening. At sunset Joshua commanded that they remove them. They took them down from the trees, and cast them into the cave where they had been hidden. They laid large stones in the mouth of the cave. Even today the stones are there. That day Joshua struck Makkedah with the edge of the sword. The king was destroyed all the people who lived there. He let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah the same as he did to the king of Jericho. Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel went with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah: Jehovah delivered it and the king into the hand of Israel. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the persons who lived there. He let none remain: and he did to the king of Libnah as he did to the king of Jericho. Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it: Jehovah delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel on the second day. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the persons who lived there according to all that he had done to Libnah. Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish. Joshua killed him and his people, until he had left none remaining. From Lachish Joshua went to Eglon, and all Israel with him. They encamped against it, and fought against it: They took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword. All that were there were destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish. Joshua and all Israel with him went from Eglon to Hebron; and they fought against it: They capture it and destroyed it with the edge of the sword. This included the king and all the cities, and all the people who were there. He left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and destroyed all the people there. Joshua and all Israel returned with him to Debir and fought against it: He took it, and the king and all the cities there. They killed them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all people there. He left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king. So Joshua struck all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Jehovah God of Israel commanded.

They killed all the people there with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them. None were left alive. He burned Hazor with fire.

They captured the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at Oreb Rock, and Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. They continued to pursue the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now east of the Jordan.

Kill all the males, and also every woman who is not a virgin.

He defeated the Moabites. He made the prisoners lie down on the ground and put two out of every three of them to death. So the Moabites became his subjects and paid taxes to him.

Why are you crying? Hazael asked. Because I know the horrible things you will do against the people of Israel, Elisha answered. You will burn their fortresses, slaughter their finest young men, batter their children to death, and rip open their pregnant women.

At Riblah he put Zedekiah's sons to death while Zedekiah was looking on, and he also had the officials of Judah executed.


The Syrians carried off a little Israelite girl during one of their raids against Israel. The girl became a servant of Naaman's wife.

You may take the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the city for yourselves. You may use everything that belongs to your enemies. Jehovah has given it to you.

You sell your people for almost nothing, and at that price you have gained nothing.

You sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks. You remove them far from their border.


The king said to Joseph: God has shown you all this. Therefore it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else. I will put you in charge of my country. All my people will obey your orders. Your authority will be second only to mine. I now appoint you governor over all Egypt. read more.
Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand. He clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot. They proclaimed before him: Bow the knee! Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph: Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh named Joseph, Zaphenath-paneah. He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.

When the order made by the king was made public a number of girls were placed in the care of Hegai in the king's house in Shushan. Esther was taken to the king's house and put in the care of Hegai, the keeper of the women.


Jehovah also said: For the many transgressions of the children of Ammon I will not withdraw the punishment. They have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.

Why are you crying? Hazael asked. Because I know the horrible things you will do against the people of Israel, Elisha answered. You will burn their fortresses, slaughter their finest young men, batter their children to death, and rip open their pregnant women.

Then Menahem sent destruction on the people of Tappuah and the nearby territory. He attacked it because they would not let him come in. He had all the pregnant women cut open.


In the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin king of Judah had been taken prisoner, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in the first year of his rule, took Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of prison. He said kind things to him and placed his seat higher than the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. His prison clothing was changed. He was a guest at the king's table every day for the rest of his life. read more.
The king gave him a regular amount of food every day for the rest of his life.

He let them find compassion from all those who held them captive.


They took by force the women in Zion, the virgins in the towns of Judah. They put princes to death by hanging. The elders are not honored. The young men crushed the grain, and the boys fell under the wood.

I will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem! The city will be defeated. The houses will be plundered and the women raped! Half of the city will be taken into captivity. The remainder of the people will not be removed from the city.


Two days later David and his men came to Ziklag. The Amalekites raided the south country (Negev) including Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag and burned it. They captured the women young and old. However they killed no one. Instead, they took the women as prisoners.

They also captured Lot, son of Abram's brother, who lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.


David made the people of Rabbah tear down the city walls with iron picks and axes. He also put them to work making bricks. He did the same thing with all the other Ammonite cities. David went back to Jerusalem. The people of Israel returned to their homes.

He took the troops who were there and put them to work with saws, hoes, and axes. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. After that David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.


The Philistines captured him and put his eyes out. They took him to Gaza, chained him with copper chains. They put him to work grinding at the mill in the prison.

After that, he had Zedekiah's eyes put out and had him placed in chains to be taken to Babylon.


Amaziah courageously led his troops. When he came to the Dead Sea region, he killed ten thousand men from Seir. The Judeans captured another ten thousand alive. They took them to the top of a cliff, and threw them off the top of the cliff so that they were dismembered.


I will set my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears. Your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your sons and your daughters. The fire will consume your survivors. They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels.


The cowering prisoners will soon be set free. They will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.


Adoni-bezek fled and they chased him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. And Adoni-bezek said: Seventy kings with their big toes cut off have gathered food scrapes under my table. God has repaid me for what I have done. So they brought him to Jerusalem where he died.


so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared to Egypt's shame.