The Skeptics Annotated Bible (250 page)

26
Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light.

(19.26)
“Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light.”

27 And
her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

28 And
he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.

(19.28)
“He said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.”

29
And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

(19.29)
“And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.”

30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day:
consider of it
, take advice,
and speak your minds.

(19.30)
“Consider of it … and speak your minds.”

(20.1-48)
A holy civil war
After receiving the Levite’s rotting concubine body part message (see the last chapter for the gory details), the entire population of Israel along with 400,000 soldiers gathered together to decide what to do about it. God’s 56th Killing

20
Then
all the children of Israel
went out, and the congregation was
gathered together as one man
, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead,
unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

(20.1)
“All the children of Israel … gathered together as one man … unto the LORD in Mizpeh.”

2 And the chief of all the people, even of
all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

(20.2)
“All the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.”

(20.3-6) When they arrived at Mizpeh, the Israelites asked the meaning of the rotting flesh messages. So the Levite told them the nasty story that is found in Judges 19, except that he left out the part about how he gave his concubine to the mob to do with as they pleased.

3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

(20.3)
“Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?”

4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

(20.4)
“The Levite … said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.”

5 And
the men of Gibeah rose against me
, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me:
and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

(20.5)
“The men of Gibeah rose against me … and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.”

6
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country
of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

(20.6) “And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country.”

7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

(20.8-9) When the Israelites heard this, they all said together in complete unison.

8
And all the people arose as one man, saying,
We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.

(20.8)
“And all the people arose as one man, saying,”

9 But now
this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;

(20.9) “This shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it.” (God’s just war theory: Since the town of Gibeah was where the incident with the concubine occurred, and the inhabitants of Gibeah were from the tribe of Benjamin, the other Israelite tribes must go to war with the Benjamites. This may not make much sense to you, but it does to God.)

10 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

(20.12-21) The Benjamites refuse to turn over the men from Gibeah (the town that wanted to have sex with the Levite but settled for his concubine instead), so the Israelites asked God which tribe should go to war with them. God said the tribe of Judah should go first. Judah goes to war and the Benjamites, with their 700 sharp shooting lefties, kill 22,000 Israelites.

12 And
the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?

(20.12)
“The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?”

13 Now therefore
deliver us the men
, the children of Belial,
which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death
, and put away evil from Israel
. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

(20.13)
“Deliver us the men … which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death … But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.”