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 sons of Israel go out, and the congregation is assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-Sheba, and the land of Gilead, to YHWH, at Mizpeh.

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 the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, station themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen drawing 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 sons of Benjamin hear that the sons of Israel have gone up to Mizpeh. And the sons of Israel say, “Speak! How has this evil been?”

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 man, the Levite, husband of the woman who has been murdered, answers and says, “My concubine and I went into Gibeah, which [is] 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 masters of Gibeah rise against me—and they go around the house against me by night—they thought to slay me, and they have humbled my concubine, and she dies;

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 lay hold on my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and send her into all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have done wickedness and folly in Israel;

7 So all of you Israelites have to decide here and now what you're going to do about it!”

behold, you [are] all sons of Israel; give for yourselves a word and counsel here.”

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 rise as one man, saying, “None of us goes to his tent, and none of us turns aside 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 we do to Gibeah: [we 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.”

And we have taken ten men of one hundred, of all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of a myriad, to receive provision for the people, to do, at their coming to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly which it has done in Israel.”

11 All the men of Israel were in agreement and gathered to attack the town.

And every man of Israel is gathered to the city, as one man—companions.

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 send men among all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, “What [is] this evil which has been 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.

And now, give up the men—sons of worthlessness—which [are] in Gibeah, and we put them to death, and we put away evil from Israel.” And [the sons of] Benjamin have not been willing to listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel;

14 They left their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go and fight the other Israelites.

and the sons of Benjamin are gathered out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle with the sons 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 sons of Benjamin number themselves on that day; out of the cities [are] twenty-six thousand men drawing sword, apart from the inhabitants of Gibeah, [who] numbered themselves, seven hundred chosen men;

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 this people [are] seven hundred chosen men, their right hand bound, each of these slinging with a stone at the hair, and he does not err.

17 The Israelite army (excluding Benjamin) numbered four hundred thousand seasoned warriors, all armed with swords.

And the men of Israel numbered themselves, apart from Benjamin, four hundred thousand men, drawing sword, each of these a man 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 rise and go up to Beth-El, and ask of God, and the sons of Israel say, “Who goes up for us at the commencement to battle with the sons of Benjamin?” And YHWH says, “Judah—at the commencement.”

19 The next morning the Israelites left and set up their camp near Gibeah.

And the sons of Israel rise in the morning, and encamp against 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 go out to battle with Benjamin, and the men of Israel set themselves in array [for] battle with them, against Gibeah,

21 But the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.

and the sons of Benjamin come out from Gibeah, and destroy twenty-two thousand men in Israel on that day—to the earth.

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 people, the men of Israel, strengthen themselves, and add to set in array [for] battle in the place where they arranged 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.

And the sons of Israel go up and weep before YHWH until the evening, and ask of YHWH, saying, “Do I add to draw near to battle with the sons of my brother Benjamin?” And YHWH says, “Go up against him.”

24 So the second day they advanced to attack the army of Benjamin.

And the sons of Israel draw near to the sons 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 Benjamin comes out to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and destroy eighteen thousand men among the sons of Israel again—to the earth; all these are drawing 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 all the sons of Israel go up, even all the people, and come to Beth-El, and weep, and sit there before YHWH, and fast on that day until the evening, and cause burnt-offerings and peace-offerings to ascend before YHWH.

27 The Israelites asked the Lord what to do. At that time the Ark of God's Agreement was kept there.

And the sons of Israel ask of YHWH—and the Ark of the Covenant of God [is] 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 Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, is standing before it in those days, saying, “Do I add to go out to battle again with the sons of my brother Benjamin, or do I cease?” And YHWH says, “Go up, for tomorrow I give him into your hand.”

29 Then the Israelites set up an ambush around Gibeah.

And Israel sets ones lying in wait against Gibeah, all around,

30 On the third day they took up the same positions they had as before.

and the sons of Israel go up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and arrange themselves against Gibeah, as time by time.

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 sons of Benjamin come out to meet the people; they have been drawn away out of the city, and begin to strike [some] of the people—wounded as time by time—in the highways (of which one is going up to Beth-El, and the other to Gibeah in the field), [are] 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 sons of Benjamin say, “They are struck before us as at the beginning”; but the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee, and draw them away out of the city, to the highways.”

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 of Israel have risen from their place, and arrange themselves at Ba‘al-Tamar, and the ambush of Israel is coming forth out of its place, out of the meadow 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.

And they come in from the front against Gibeah—ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel—and the battle [is] grievous, and they have not known that the calamity is reaching toward 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 YHWH strikes Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroy in Benjamin, on that day, twenty-five thousand and one hundred men; all these [are] drawing 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 sons of Benjamin see that they have been struck—and the men of Israel give place to Benjamin, for they have trusted in the ambush which they had set against Gibeah,

37 The men from the ambush raced to attack the town, and they killed everyone in it.

and the ambush has hurried, and pushes against Gibeah, and the ambush draws itself out, and strikes the whole of the city by the mouth 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 appointed sign of the men of Israel with the ambush was their causing a great volume of smoke to go up 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 men of Israel turn in battle, and Benjamin has begun to strike the wounded among the men of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, “Surely they are utterly struck before us, as [at] 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 the volume has begun to go up from the city—a pillar of smoke—and Benjamin turns behind, and behold, the perfection of the city has gone up toward the heavens.

41 they turned on their enemies. The Benjamites were horrified when they saw it and realized they were doomed.

And the men of Israel have turned, and the men of Benjamin are troubled, for they have seen that the calamity has struck against 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 turn before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, and the battle has followed them; and those who [are] from the cities are destroying them in their midst;

43 Chasing after the Benjamites, the Israelites surrounded them, easily overtaking them east of Gibeah.

they have surrounded the Benjamites—they have pursued them—they have trodden them down with ease as far as the front of Gibeah, at the sun-rising.

44 Eighteen thousand Benjamites were killed, all of them courageous warriors.

And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fall—all these [were] 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.

and they turn and flee toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon; and they glean five thousand of their men in the highways, and follow after them to Gidom, and strike two thousand [more] of their men.

46 So that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite were killed, all armed with swords and all courageous warriors.

And all those falling of Benjamin are twenty-five thousand men drawing sword, on that day—all these [were] men of valor;

47 There were six hundred who ran away to Pomegranate Rock in the desert and they stayed there four months.

but six hundred men turn and flee into the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and they dwell in the rock of Rimmon 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 have turned back to the sons of Benjamin, and strike them by the mouth of the sword out of the city—men even to livestock, even to all that is found; they have also sent all the cities which are found into the fire.