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 forth all the sons of Israel, and the assembly came together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba with the land of Gilead, —unto Yahweh 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 chiefs of all the people—all the tribes of Israel—presented themselves in the convocation of the people of God, —four hundred thousand footmen, 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 sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. Then said the sons of Israel, Tell [us], In what manner was brought to pass this vileness?

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, husband of the woman that was cut in pieces, responded and said, —Into Gibeah that pertaineth to Benjamin, I entered, I and my concubine, to tarry the 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.

And the owners of Gibeah rose up against me, and beset the house, for my sake, by night, —me, they thought to slay, and, my concubine, they so humbled, 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.

So I laid hold on my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, —because they had wrought lewdness and impiety, in Israel.

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

Lo! ye all, are sons of Israel, —give your word and counsel, here.

8 Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house.

Then arose all the people, as one man, saying, —No man of us will go to his tent, and no man of us will turn aside to his house.

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

Now, therefore, this is the thing, that we will do to Gibeah, —[Go] 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 of a hundred, of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to fetch provisions for the people, —that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the impiety that it hath 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 together against the city, as one man knit together.

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 throughout all the divisions of Benjamin, saying, —What is this vile thing that hath been brought to pass, 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—the sons of the Abandoned One—who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and vileness be consumed out of Israel. But [the sons of] Benjamin would not hearken unto the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel.

14 And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.

Then did the sons of Benjamin gather themselves together out of the cities, unto Gibeah, —to go forth to battle against the sons 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 sons of Benjamin were numbered on that day, out of the cities, twenty-six thousand men, that drew the sword, —besides, of the inhabitants of Gibeah, 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.

Out of all this people, were seven hundred chosen men, left-handed, —any one of whom could sling with a stone to a hair’s-breadth, and not miss.

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

And, the men of Israel, were numbered, apart from Benjamin, four hundred thousand men, that drew the sword, —every one of these being a man 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 Bethel, and asked of God, and the sons of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first, to fight against the sons of Benjamin? And Yahweh said—Judah, first.

19 The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.

And the sons of Israel arose 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 forth, to fight against Benjamin, —so the men of Israel set themselves in array against them, to fight against Gibeah.

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

Then came forth the sons of Benjamin out of Gibeah, —and laid low of Israel, on that day, twenty-two thousand men, to the ground.

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, encouraged themselves, —and again set themselves in array for battle in the place where they had set themselves in array 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.”

Now the sons of Israel had gone up, and wept before Yahweh, until the evening, and asked of Yahweh, saying, Shall I again draw near to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother? And Yahweh said, Go up against him.

24 On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites.

So the sons of Israel came near against the sons 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 came forth to meet them out of Gibeah, on the second day, and laid low, of the sons of Israel, yet eighteen thousand men, to the ground, —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 went up all the sons of Israel, and all the people, and came to Bethel, and wept, and tarried there before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, until the evening, —and caused to go up ascending-sacrifices and peace-offerings, before Yahweh.

27 And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,

And the sons of Israel asked of Yahweh, —there, being 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, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it in those days, saying: Shall I yet again go forth to battle, against the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I forbear? And Yahweh said—Go up, for, to-morrow, will I deliver him 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.

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.

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 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.

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.”

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.

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 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.

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 over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men, out of all Israel, and the battle was severe, —they, not knowing that disaster 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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, 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.

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.”

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,

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, 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.

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, then were the men of Benjamin dismayed, —for they saw that disaster 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.

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: —

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

they hemmed in the Benjamites, they pursued them, with ease, trode they them down, —as far as over against Gibeah, towards sunrise.

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

So there fell of Benjamin, eighteen thousand men, —all these being 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, when they turned and fled towards the desert unto the cliff Rimmon, then gleaned they of them, in the highways, five thousand men, —and they followed hard after them as far as Gidom, and smote of them, two thousand men.

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

So then it came to pass that, all the fallen of Benjamin, were twenty-five thousand men, that drew the sword, on that day, —all these being men of valour.

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

But there turned and fled, towards the desert, unto the cliff Rimmon, six hundred men, —who abode in the cliff 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.

Thus, the men of Israel, turned against the sons of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, beginning with the city, each and every one down to the beast, even to every one that was met with, —moreover, all the cities they came to, they set on fire.