Judges 20
1 Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
And all the children of Israel went forth, and the assembly gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah.
2 The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords.
And the heads of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the congregation of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
3 (Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”
And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. And the children of Israel said, Tell [us], how was this wickedness?
4 So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
Then the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came to Gibeah that [belongs] to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
5 And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died.
And the citizens of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house because of me, by night; they thought to slay me, and my concubine have they humbled so that she died.
6 Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.
Then I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and villany in Israel.
7 Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”
Behold, all ye, children of Israel, deliberate and give here [your] counsel.
8 Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house.
And all the people rose up as one man, saying, We will not any one go to his tent, neither will we any one turn into his house.
9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.
But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: [we go] by lot against it;
10 We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”
and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the villany that they have wrought in Israel.
11 So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city.
And all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
12 And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?
And the tribes of Israel sent men to all the families of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that has been done among you?
13 Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.” But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites.
And now give up the men, the sons of Belial, who 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.
14 And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.
And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities of Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.
15 On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.
And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities, twenty-six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
16 Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.
Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; all these slang stones at a hair [breadth], and missed not.
17 The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.
And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.
18 The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.
And the children of Israel arose and went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah first.
19 The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.
And the children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.
20 And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.
And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.
21 And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
And the children of Benjamin went forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty-two thousand men.
22 But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day.
And the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and set the battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.
23 They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”
And the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even, and inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.
24 On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites.
And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
25 That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.
And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and again destroyed to the ground of the children of Israel eighteen thousand men: all these drew the sword.
26 Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up and came to Bethel, and wept, and abode there before Jehovah, and fasted that day until even, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.
27 And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,
And the children of Israel inquired of Jehovah (and the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And Jehovah said, Go up; for to-morrow I will give them into thy hand.
29 So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.
And Israel set liers in wait against Gibeah, round about.
30 On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before.
And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at the other times.
31 The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.
And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city, and began to smite of the people, slaying as at the former times, in the highways, of which one leads to Bethel and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
32 “We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. And the children of Israel said, Let us flee, that we may draw them from the city to the highways.
33 So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.
And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-Tamar; and the ambush of Israel rushed forth out of their place, out of the meadows of Geba.
34 Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them.
And there came from opposite Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was severe; but they knew not that disaster was coming upon them.
35 The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.
And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjaminites that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men: all these drew the sword.
36 Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated. Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah.
And the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten. — And the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted to the ambush that they had set against Gibeah.
37 The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
And the ambush hasted, and fell upon Gibeah; and the ambush drew along, and smote the whole city with the edge of the sword.
38 The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,
Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambush, that they should make a thick column of smoke rise up out of the city.
39 the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.”
And when the men of Israel turned back in the battle, Benjamin began to smite, slaying of the men of Israel about thirty men; for they said, Surely they are quite routed before us as in the first battle.
40 But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.
And when the burning began to rise up out of the city as a pillar of smoke, Benjamin looked behind, and behold, the whole city ascended [in smoke] to the heavens.
41 Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them.
Then the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin were amazed, for they saw that disaster was come upon them.
42 So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there.
And they turned before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in their midst.
43 They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.
They encompassed the Benjaminites, chased them, trode them down at the resting-place over against Gibeah toward the sun-rising.
44 And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.
And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men: all these, men of valour.
45 Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.
And they turned and fled towards the wilderness to the cliff of Rimmon, and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them to Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
46 That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.
So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew the sword: all these, men of valour.
47 But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.
And six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness to the cliff of Rimmon, and abode at the cliff of Rimmon four months.
48 And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.
And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of [every] city as the cattle, and all that was found; even all the cities that were found did they set on fire.
