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.

Then went out all the children of Israel, and the congregation was assembled together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba', with the land of Gil'ad, unto the Lord in 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 there presented themselves the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand men on foot that drew the 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 were gone up to Mizpah.) And the children of Israel said, Speak, how did this wickedness take place?

4 So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.

And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came to Gib'ah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to stay one night,

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.

When the men of Gib'ah rose against me, and beset the house round about against me by night; me they intended to slay; and my concubine 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.

And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her about throughout all the fields of the inheritance of Israel; for they had committed incest and scandal in Israel.

7 Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”

Behold, ye are all here children of Israel: furnish for yourselves here advice and 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 then arose as one man, saying, We will not go any of us to his tent, neither will we turn any of us into his house.

9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.

And now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gib'ah: We will go up against it by lot;

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 out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to procure provisions for the people; that they may do, when they come to Gib'ah of Benjamin, in accordance with all the scandalous deed that they have wrought in Israel.

11 So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city.

So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, associated 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 through all the divisions of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that hath 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.

Now therefore deliver up the men, those worthless people, who are in Gib'ah, that we may put them to death, and remove 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 unto Gib'ah, to go out to battle with 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 at that time there were numbered of the children of Benjamin out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew the sword, beside the inhabitants of Gib'ah, 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 lame in the right hand: every one of these could sling a stone at a hair, and would not miss.

17 The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.

And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew the 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 they arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and the children of Israel said, Who of us shall go up at first to the battle with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah, at 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 Gib'ah.

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 with Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in battle-array against them by Gib'ah.

21 And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.

And the Children of Benjamin came forth out of Gib'ah, and struck down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and 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 themselves again in battle-array in the place where they had arrayed themselves on 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 the Lord until the evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I again approach to battle with the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord 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 on 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 Gib'ah on the second day, and struck down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men: all these were men that 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.

Now all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted on that day until the evening, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord.

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 the Lord, (for there was the ark of the covenant of God 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 Elazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days, ) saying, shall I yet continue to go out to battle with the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I forbear? And the Lord said, Go up; for tomorrow will I deliver him into thy hand.

29 So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.

And Israel sent men to lie in wait round about Gib'ah.

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 Gib'ah, as at previous 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 they began to smite some of the people, and kill, as at previous times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to Beth-el, and the other to Gib'ah 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 defeated before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto 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 Ba'al-thamar: and those that lay in wait of Israel rushed forth out of their place, out of the meadows of Gib'ah.

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 against Gib'ah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was severe; but they knew not that the evil was overtaking 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 the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites on that day twenty and five thousand and one hundred men: all these were those that 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 defeated; for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto those that lay in wait whom they had set against Gib'ah.

37 The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.

And those in ambush hastened, and spread themselves over Gib'ah; and those that lay in wait moved along, and smote all the 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 understanding between the men of Israel and those that lay in wait, that they should make an abundance of columns 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 round in the battle, and Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, Surely they are entirely defeated 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.

Then began the cloud to arise up out of the city as a pillar of smoke; and when the Benjamites looked behind them, behold, the flames of all the city were ascending up to heaven.

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.

And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed; for they saw that the evil had overtaken 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.

Therefore they turned round before the men of Israel unto the way to the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.

43 They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.

They enclosed the Benjamites round about, chased them, they overtook them in their places of rest, as far as opposite to Gib'ah toward the rising of the sun.

44 And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.

And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men: all these were men of valor.

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 toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon; and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and they pursued hard after them as far as Gid'om, and slew of them two thousand men.

46 That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.

So that all who fell on that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword: all these were men of valor.

47 But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.

But six hundred men turned and fled into the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and they abode on the rock 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 beasts, and all that was found: also all the cities that they came upon did they set on fire.