Judges 20
1 All the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, went and gathered at Mizpah before the Lord. The assembly was united in purpose.
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.
2 The leaders of all the people of every Israelite tribe took their assigned positions in the assembled army of God's people, four hundred thousand soldiers armed with swords.
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.
3 The tribe of Benjamin found out that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah. The Israelites asked, “Tell us, how could such an evil act have happened?”
(Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”
4 The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, explained, “I and my concubine came to spend the night at the town of Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.
So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
5 The leaders of Gibeah came to attack me at night. They surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine and she died.
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.
6 I took my concubine and cut her into pieces, and I sent these pieces of her to every part of the country that had been given to Israel, because those men had done something shameful and disgusting in Israel.
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.
7 So all of you Israelites have to decide here and now what you're going to do about it!”
Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”
8 Everyone stood up and unitedly declared, “None of us are going home to our tents! None of us are going home to our houses!
Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house.
9 This is what we're going to do to Gilboah: we will attack it with our forces chosen by lot.
Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.
10 We'll take ten men from a hundred from all the Israelite tribes, then a hundred from a thousand, then a thousand from ten thousand, to arrange food for the army, so when the troops reach Gibeah in Benjamin, they can pay them back for all these disgusting things they've done in Israel.”
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.”
11 All the men of Israel were in agreement and gathered to attack the town.
So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city.
12 The Israelite tribes also sent men throughout the territory of Benjamin, asking the people, “What are you doing about this terrible evil that has taken place among you?
And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?
13 Hand over these wicked men so we can execute them and get rid of this evil from Israel!” But the Benjamites refused to listen to what their fellow Israelites had to say.
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.
14 They left their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go and fight the other Israelites.
And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.
15 That day a total of twenty-six thousand men armed with swords were called up from the towns of Benjamin, in addition to the seven hundred seasoned warriors from Gibeah.
On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.
16 Making up part of this army were seven hundred experienced soldiers who used their left hands. All of them could fire a slingshot and not miss by even a hair's breadth.
Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.
17 The Israelite army (excluding Benjamin) numbered four hundred thousand seasoned warriors, all armed with swords.
The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.
18 The Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, “Which ones of us should be the first to go and fight the Benjamites?” “Judah is to go first,” the Lord replied.
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.
19 The next morning the Israelites left and set up their camp near Gibeah.
The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.
20 Then they marched out for battle with the army of Benjamin, taking up their positions to attack Gibeah.
And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.
21 But the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.
And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
22 But the Israelites encouraged one other to be confident, and they took up the same positions they had on the first day.
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.
23 The Israelites went and cried before the Lord until the evening and asked, “Should we go and attack the Benjamites again, our relatives?” “Go and attack them,” the Lord replied.
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.”
24 So the second day they advanced to attack the army of Benjamin.
On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites.
25 However, Benjamites came out of Gibeah once more and slaughtered eighteen thousand Israelites, all armed with swords.
That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.
26 Then all the Israelites and all their army went to Bethel, and sat crying there before the Lord. That day they fasted until evening and gave burnt offerings and friendship offerings to the Lord.
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.
27 The Israelites asked the Lord what to do. At that time the Ark of God's Agreement was kept there.
And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,
28 Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was the priest. The Israelites asked the Lord, “Should go and we fight again against our relatives from Benjamin, or not?” “Yes, go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you,” the Lord replied.
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.”
29 Then the Israelites set up an ambush around Gibeah.
So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.
30 On the third day they took up the same positions they had as before.
On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before.
31 The Benjamites came out to attack them and were lured away from the town as they began to kill Israelites as they had before. Some thirty Israelites died on the battlefield and along the roads, the one that goes towards Bethel and the other that goes back towards Gibeah.
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.
32 “We're defeating them, just like before,” the Benjamites shouted. But the Israelites said, “Let's run away from them and lure them away from the town towards the roads.”
“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.”
33 The main army of Israelites left where they were and took up positions at Baal-tamar, while those in the ambush west of Gibeah charged out to attack from where they had been hiding.
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.
34 Ten thousand seasoned Israelite warriors attacked Gibeah, and the fighting was so intense the Benjamites didn't realize they were on the brink of disaster.
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.
35 So the Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel. That day the Israelites killed twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites, all armed with swords.
The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.
36 The Benjamites saw that they were defeated. The Israelites had fallen back before the Benjamites because they were confident the ambush they had put in place near Gibeah would be successful.
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.
37 The men from the ambush raced to attack the town, and they killed everyone in it.
The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
38 The agreement was that they would send up a great cloud of smoke to show the town had fallen.
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,
39 The Israelite army turned to attack the Benjamites, who had already killed about thirty Israelites. The Benjamites were saying, “We're completely defeating them, just like the first battle!”
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.”
40 However, when the Israelites saw the columns of smoke rising heavenwards to form a great cloud over the whole of the town,
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.
41 they turned on their enemies. The Benjamites were horrified when they saw it and realized they were doomed.
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.
42 They turned and ran from the Israelites towards the desert, but the battle caught up with them, and the Israelites also killed those who left the towns on the way.
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.
43 Chasing after the Benjamites, the Israelites surrounded them, easily overtaking them east of Gibeah.
They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.
44 Eighteen thousand Benjamites were killed, all of them courageous warriors.
And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.
45 Some of the Benjamites that were left ran towards Pomegranate Rock in the desert, and the Israelites killed another five thousand men on the way. They chased another group of Benjamites as far as Gidom and killed another thousand.
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.
46 So that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite were killed, all armed with swords and all courageous warriors.
That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.
47 There were six hundred who ran away to Pomegranate Rock in the desert and they stayed there four months.
But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.
48 The Israelites went back into the territory of the Benjamites, and going from town to town, they killed everything: people, animals, everything they found. Then they burned down every town on their way.
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.
