²³ Now the children of Israel went up, weeping before the Lord till evening, requesting the Lord and saying, Am I to go forward again to the fight against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up to Beth-el, weeping and waiting there before the Lord, going without food all day till evening, and offering burned offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord.

²⁷ And the children of Israel made request to the Lord, (for the ark of the agreement of the Lord was there in those days,

⁶ Then Joshua, in great grief, went down on the earth before the ark of the Lord till the evening, and all the chiefs of Israel with him, and they put dust on their heads.

¹⁸ And they got up and went up to Beth-el to get directions from God, and the children of Israel said, Who is to be the first to go up to the fight against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah is to go up first.

³⁴ When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care;

³⁵ In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.

³⁶ But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;

¹⁵ I will go back to my place till they are made waste; in their trouble they will go after me early and will make search for me.