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.
And all the children of Israel went out, and all the congregation was gathered as one man, from Dan even to Bersabee, and in the land of Galaad, to the Lord at Massepha.
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.
And all the tribes of Israel stood before the Lord in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
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?”
And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Massepha: and the children of Israel came and said, Tell us, where did this wickedness take place?
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.
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I and my concubine went to Gabaa of Benjamin to lodge.
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 the men of Gabaa rose up against me, and compassed the house by night against me; they wished to slay me, and they have humbled my concubine, and she is dead.
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.
And I laid hold of my concubine, and divided her in pieces, and sent [the parts] into every coast of the inheritance of the children of Israel; for they have wrought lewdness and abomination in Israel.
7 So all of you Israelites have to decide here and now what you're going to do about it!”
Behold, all ye [are] children of Israel; and consider and take counsel here among yourselves.
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!
And all the people rose up as one man, saying, No one of us shall return to his tent, and no one of us shall return to his house.
9 This is what we're going to do to Gilboah: we will attack it with our forces chosen by lot.
And now this [is] the thing which shall be done in Gabaa; we will go up against it by lot.
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.”
Moreover we will take ten men for a hundred for all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred for a thousand, and a thousand for ten thousand, to take provision, to cause them to come to Gabaa of Benjamin, to do to it according to all the abomination, which they wrought in Israel.
11 All the men of Israel were in agreement and gathered to attack the town.
And all the men of Israel were gathered to the city as one man.
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 through the whole tribe of Benjamin, saying, What [is] this wickedness that has been wrought 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.
Now then give up the men the sons of transgressors that are in Gabaa, and we will put them to death, and purge out wickedness from Israel: but the children of Benjamin consented not to hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.
14 They left their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go and fight the other Israelites.
And the children of Benjamin were gathered from their cities to Gabaa, to go forth to fight with the children of Israel.
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.
And the children of Benjamin from their cities were numbered in that day, twenty-three thousand, [every] man drawing a sword, besides the inhabitants of Gabaa, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men of all the people, able to use both hands alike;
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.
All these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.
17 The Israelite army (excluding Benjamin) numbered four hundred thousand seasoned warriors, all armed with swords.
And the men of Israel, exclusive of Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these [were] men of war.
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.
And they arose and went up to Baethel, and enquired of God: and the children of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first to fight with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Juda shall go up first as leader.
19 The next morning the Israelites left and set up their camp near Gibeah.
And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gabaa.
20 Then they marched out for battle with the army of Benjamin, taking up their positions to attack Gibeah.
And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and engaged with them at Gabaa.
21 But the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.
And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gabaa, and they destroyed in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men down to the ground.
22 But the Israelites encouraged one other to be confident, and they took up the same positions they had on the first day.
And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged 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.
And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord till evening, and enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw nigh to battle with our brethren the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up against them.
24 So the second day they advanced to attack the army of Benjamin.
And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin on the second day.
25 However, Benjamites came out of Gibeah once more and slaughtered eighteen thousand Israelites, all armed with swords.
And the children of Benjamin went forth to meet them from Gabaa on the second day, and destroyed of the children of Israel yet further eighteen thousand men down to the ground: all these drew sword.
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.
And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Baethel; and they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on that day until evening, and offered whole-burnt-offerings and perfect sacrifices, before the Lord,
27 The Israelites asked the Lord what to do. At that time the Ark of God's Agreement was kept there.
for the ark of the Lord God [was] there in those days,
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 Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before it in those days; and the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we yet again go forth to fight with our brethren the sons of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up, to-morrow I will give them into your hands.
29 Then the Israelites set up an ambush around Gibeah.
And the children of Israel set an ambush against Gabaa round about [it].
30 On the third day they took up the same positions they had as before.
And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and arrayed themselves against Gabaa as 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.
And the children of Benjamin went out to meet the people, and were all drawn out of the city, and began to smite and slay the people as before in the roads, whereof one goes up to Baethel, and one to Gabaa in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
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.”
And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us as at the first: but the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them out from the city into the roads; and they did so.
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.
And all the men rose up out of their places, and engaged in Baal Thamar; and the liers in wait of Israel advanced from their place from Maraagabe.
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.
And there came over against Gabaa ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel; and the fight [was] severe; and they knew not that evil was coming 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.
And the Lord smote Benjamin before the children of Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin in that day a hundred and twenty-five thousand men: all these drew sword.
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.
And the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten; and the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted in the ambuscade which they had prepared against Gabaa.
37 The men from the ambush raced to attack the town, and they killed everyone in it.
And when they retreated, then the liers in wait rose up, and they moved toward Gabaa, and the whole ambush came forth, and they smote the city with the edge of the sword.
38 The agreement was that they would send up a great cloud of smoke to show the town had fallen.
And the children of Israel had a signal of battle with the liers in wait, that they should send up a signal 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!”
And the children of Israel saw that the liers in wait had seized Gabaa, and they stood in line of battle; and Benjamin began to smite down wounded ones among the men of Israel about thirty men; for they said, Surely they fall again 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,
And the signal went up increasingly over the city as a pillar of smoke; and Benjamin looked behind him, and behold the destruction of the city went up to heaven.
41 they turned on their enemies. The Benjamites were horrified when they saw it and realized they were doomed.
And the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin hasted, because they saw that evil 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.
And they turned to the way of the wilderness from before the children of Israel, and fled: but the battle overtook them, and they from the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.
43 Chasing after the Benjamites, the Israelites surrounded them, easily overtaking them east of Gibeah.
And they cut down Benjamin, and pursued him from Nua closely till they came opposite Gabaa on the east.
44 Eighteen thousand Benjamites were killed, all of them courageous warriors.
And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men: all these [were] men of might.
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.
And the rest turned, and fled to the wilderness to the rock of Remmon; and the children of Israel picked off of them five thousand men; and the children of Israel went down after them as far as Gedan, and they smote of them two thousand men.
46 So that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite were killed, all armed with swords and all courageous warriors.
And all that fell of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew sword in that day: all these were men of might.
47 There were six hundred who ran away to Pomegranate Rock in the desert and they stayed there four months.
And the rest turned, and fled to the wilderness to the rock of Remmon, even [six] hundred men; and they sojourned four months in the rock of Remmon.
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 children of Israel returned to the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword from the city of Methla, even to the cattle, and every thing that was found in all the cities: and they burnt with fire the cities they found.
