Thematic Bible: Strategy


Thematic Bible



And he divided the three hundred men, into three companies, - and put horns into the hands of them all, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. Then he said unto them, On me, shall ye look, and, in like manner, shall ye do, - and lo! when I am coming unto the outermost part of the camp, then shall it be, that, as I do, so, shall ye do. When I shall blow with the horn, I and all who are with me, then shall, ye also, round about all the camp, blow with your horns, and shall say, For Yahweh and for Gideon!


And he divided the three hundred men, into three companies, - and put horns into the hands of them all, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. Then he said unto them, On me, shall ye look, and, in like manner, shall ye do, - and lo! when I am coming unto the outermost part of the camp, then shall it be, that, as I do, so, shall ye do. When I shall blow with the horn, I and all who are with me, then shall, ye also, round about all the camp, blow with your horns, and shall say, For Yahweh and for Gideon!


The oracle on Moab: Because, in a night, was laid waste Ar of Moab - destroyed! Because, in a night, was laid waste Kir of Moab - destroyed,

And he divided the three hundred men, into three companies, - and put horns into the hands of them all, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.

And Israel set liers in wait against Gibeah, round about. So the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin, on the third day, - and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as time after time. And the sons of Benjamin came forth against the people, they were drawn away from the city, - and began to smite of the people, slaying as time after time, in the highways, whereof, one, goeth up to Bethel, and, the other, to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men in Israel. read more.
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. And, all the men of Israel, rose up out of their place, and set themselves in array in Baal-tamar, - and, the liers in wait of Israel, began to break forth out of their place, out of the forest of Gibeah. And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men, out of all Israel, and the battle was severe, - they, not knowing that disaster was overtaking them. Thus Yahweh smote Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed in Benjamin, that day, twenty-five thousand and one hundred men, - all these, drew the sword. So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were smitten, - and that the men of Israel had given place to Benjamin, because they trusted to the liers in wait, whom they had set near Gibeah. And, the liers in wait, hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah, - and the liers in wait marched forward, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword. Now, the appointed sign, between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, had been, - to cause a great cloud of smoke to ascend out of the city. So, when the men of Israel turned in the battle, - and, the Benjamites, began to smite and slay of the sons of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, Yea! they are, smitten, before us, as in the first battle, then, the cloud, began to ascend out of the city, a pillar of smoke, - and the Benjamites looked behind them, and lo! the whole city flamed up towards the heavens. And, when, the men of Israel, turned, then were the men of Benjamin dismayed, - for they saw that disaster had overtaken them. And, when they turned before the men of Israel unto the way of the desert, the battle, over took them, - while, as for them that came out of the cities, they began to destroy them in their midst: - they hemmed in the Benjamites, they pursued them, with ease, trode they them down, - as far as over against Gibeah, towards sunrise.

So Abram, hearing that his brother had been taken captive, drew forth his trained men born in his house three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. And he divided himself against them by night, he, and his servants, and smote them, - and pursued them as far as Hobah, which was on the left of Damascus.

Then said Hushai unto Absolom, - Not good, is the counsel that Ahithophel hath given - at this time. And Hushai said - Thou, knowest thy father and his men - that, men of might, they are, and, embittered in soul, they are, like a bear bereaved of her young, in the field, - thy father also, is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. Lo! by this time, hath, he, hidden himself in some pit, or other place, - and it shall be, as soon as he falleth upon them at the first, that he that hearkeneth for tidings will hear of it , and will say - There is a defeat among the people that are following Absolom: read more.
then will, even the son of valour himself, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, utterly melt, - for all Israel do know that, a man of might, is thy father, and that, sons of valour, are they who are with him. Therefore I counsel - that there be a general gathering together unto thee of all Israel, from Dan even unto Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, - and that, thine own presence, be going on in their midst. So shall we come upon him in some place where he hath been found, yea, we, shall be upon him, as when the dew falleth upon the ground, - and there shall not be left of him, or of the men that are with him, so much as one. But, if, into a city, he withdraw, then will all Israel bring up unto that city, ropes, - and we will drag it down unto the ravine, until there be not found in that place, so much as a small stone. Then said Absolom and all the men of Israel, Better, is the counsel of Hushai the Archite, than the counsel of Ahithophel. Yahweh, indeed, had given charge to frustrate the wise counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Yahweh might bring upon Absolom, ruin.

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.

Then was Jacob greatly afraid, and in distress. So he divided the people that were with him and the flocks and the herds and the camels into two camps, And he said. Should Esau come upon the one camp, and smite it, yet shall the camp that is left escape.

So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai, - and Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, the mighty men of valour, and sent them forth by night. And he commanded them, saying - See! ye, shall be lying in ambush against the city, behind the city, do not go very far from the city, - so shall ye all be ready. But, I, and all the people who are with me, will draw near unto the city, - and it shall be, when they come out to meet us, as at the first, then will we flee before them; read more.
so will they come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, Fleeing before us, as at the first! therefore will we flee before them. Then, ye, shall rise up out of the ambush, and take possession of the city, - and Yahweh your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be, when ye have seized the city, then shall ye burn the city with fire, according to the word of Yahweh, shall ye do, - see! I have commanded you. So Joshua sent them forth, and they went into ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west of Ai, - but Joshua lodged that night in the midst of the people. And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, - and went up - he and the elders of Israel, before the people, to Ai. And, all the people of war who were with him, went up, and drew near, and came in, right before the city, - and pitched on the north of Ai, with, a valley, between them and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, - and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west of the city. And, when the people had set all the host that was on the north of the city, with the rear thereof on the west of the city, then went Joshua, during the night, into the midst of the valley. And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted, and rose up early, and the men of the city came out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people, at an appointed time, before the waste plain, - he not knowing that there was an ambush lying in wait for him, behind the city. So then Joshua and all Israel suffered themselves to be smitten before them, - and fled, by the way of the wilderness; and all the people who were in the city were called out to pursue them, - and they pursued Joshua, and so were drawn out away from the city. And there remained not a man, in Ai or Bethel, who had not gone out after Israel, - and they left the city, open, and pursued Israel. Then said Yahweh unto Joshua - Stretch out with the javelin which is in thy hand, towards Ai, for, into thy hand, will I deliver it. So Joshua stretched out with the javelin which was in his hand, towards the city. And, the ambush, rose up quickly, out of their place, and ran, when he stretched out his hand, and entered the city, and captured it, - and hasted, and set the city on fire. And the men of Ai turned behind them, and looked, and lo! the smoke of the city had risen up towards the heavens, and there was in them no strength, to flee this way or that way, - moreover, the people that were fleeing to the wilderness, turned back upon the pursuers. Yea, when, Joshua and all Israel, saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city had risen up, then returned they, and smote the men of Ai. And, the others, came forth out of the city to meet them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side, - and they smote them, until there was left them none to remain or to escape. And, the king of Ai, they caught alive, - and brought him near unto Joshua. And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness whither they had pursued them, and all of them had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, then all Israel returned to Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. And so it was, that all who fell that day, both of men and of women, were twelve thousand, - all people of Ai.

And he divided the three hundred men, into three companies, - and put horns into the hands of them all, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. Then he said unto them, On me, shall ye look, and, in like manner, shall ye do, - and lo! when I am coming unto the outermost part of the camp, then shall it be, that, as I do, so, shall ye do. When I shall blow with the horn, I and all who are with me, then shall, ye also, round about all the camp, blow with your horns, and shall say, For Yahweh and for Gideon! read more.
So Gideon came, and the hundred men that were with him, unto the outermost part of the camp, at the beginning of the middle watch, they had but, newly set, the watchers, - and they blew with the horns, and brake in pieces the pitchers, that were in their hand. Yea the three companies blew with the horns, and shivered the pitchers, and caught hold - with their left hands - of the torches, while, in their right hands, were the horns, to blow with, - and they cried, A sword for Yahweh, and for Gideon! And they stood still, every man in his place, round about the camp, - and all the host ran and shouted, and fled. When the three hundred blew the horns, Yahweh set the sword of every man, against his neighbour, and against all the host, - and the host fled, as far as the Place of Acacias, towards Zererath, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. And the men of Israel were called together, out of Naphtali and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, - and pursued Midian.

And it came to pass, when David reached the summit, where he bowed himself down unto God, that lo! there met him, Hushai the Archite, his tunic rent, and earth upon his head. And David said unto him, - If thou pass over with me, then shalt thou become unto me, a burden; but, if, to the city, thou return, then canst thou say unto Absolom - Thy servant, I, O king, will be, as, the servant of thy father, I was formerly, so will I, now, be thy servant: thus shalt thou frustrate for me the counsel of Ahithophel.

Arise! and let us go up in the night, And let us destroy her palaces.

But, I, and all the people who are with me, will draw near unto the city, - and it shall be, when they come out to meet us, as at the first, then will we flee before them;