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 people of Israel came out as one man, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead also, and they assembled together before Yahweh 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, of all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the assembly of the people of God—400,000 men on foot, who were ready to fight with the 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?”

Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. The people of Israel said, “Tell us how this wicked thing happened.”

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.

The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, answered, “I came to Gibeah in the territory that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, 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.

During the night, the leaders of Gibeah attacked me, surrounding the house, intending to kill me. They raped 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.

I took my concubine and cut her body into pieces, and sent them into each region of Israel's inheritance, because they have committed such wickedness and outrage in Israel.

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

Now, all you Israelites, give your advice 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!

All the people arose together as one man, and they said, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will 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.

But now this is what we must do to Gibeah: We will attack it as the lot directs us.

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 of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of a thousand, and one thousand of ten thousand, to get provisions for these people, so that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may punish them for the wickedness they committed in Israel.”

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

So all the soldiers of Israel assembled against 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?

The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that was done 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.

Therefore, give us those wicked men of Gibeah, so we may put them to death, and so we will completely remove this evil from Israel.” But the Benjamites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.

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

Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to get ready to fight against the people 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.

The people of Benjamin brought together from their cities to fight on that day twenty-six thousand soldiers who were trained to fight with the sword. In addition, there were seven hundred of their chosen men from the inhabitants 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 were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Each of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

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

The people of Israel, not counting the number from Benjamin, numbered 400,000 men, who were trained to fight with the sword. All of 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.

The people of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked for advice from God. They asked, “Who first will attack the people of Benjamin for us?” Yahweh said, “Judah will attack first.”

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

The people of Israel got up in the morning and they moved their camp near Gibeah.

20 Then they marched out for battle with the army of Benjamin, taking up their positions to attack Gibeah.

The people of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin. They set up their battle positions against them at Gibeah.

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

The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and they killed twenty-two thousand men of the army of Israel on 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 people of Israel strengthened themselves and they formed the battle line in the same place where they had taken positions 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.

Then the people of Israel went up and they wept before Yahweh until evening, and they sought direction from Yahweh. They said, “Should we go again to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” Yahweh said, “Attack them!”

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

So the people of Israel went against the soldiers of Benjamin the second day.

25 However, Benjamites came out of Gibeah once more and slaughtered eighteen thousand Israelites, all armed with swords.

On the second day, Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah and they killed eighteen thousand men from the people of Israel. All were men who trained to fight with the 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.

Then all the soldiers of Israel and all the people went up to Bethel and wept, and there they sat before Yahweh and they fasted that day until the evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

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

The people of Israel asked Yahweh—for the ark of the covenant of 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 Phinehas, son of Eleazar son of Aaron, was serving before the ark in those days—”Should we go out to battle once more against the people of Benjamin, our brothers, or stop?” Yahweh said, “Attack, for tomorrow I will help you defeat them.”

29 Then the Israelites set up an ambush around Gibeah.

So Israel set men in secret places around Gibeah.

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

The people of Israel fought against the people of Benjamin for the third day, and they formed their battle lines 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 people of Benjamin went and fought against the people, and they were drawn away from the city. They began to kill some of the people. There were about thirty men of Israel who died in the fields and on the roads. One of the roads went up to Bethel, and the other went 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.”

Then the people of Benjamin said, “They are defeated and they are running away from us, just as at first.” But the soldiers of Israel said, “Let us run back and draw them away from the city to 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.

All the people of Israel rose up out of their places and formed themselves into lines for battle at Baal Tamar. Then the soldiers of Israel who had been hiding in secret places ran out from their places from Maareh 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.

There came out against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the fighting was fierce, but the Benjamites did not know that disaster was close to them.

35 So the Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel. That day the Israelites killed twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites, all armed with swords.

Yahweh defeated Benjamin before Israel. On that day, the soldiers of Israel killed 25,100 men of Benjamin. All these who died were those who had been trained to fight with the 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.

So the soldiers of Benjamin saw they were defeated. The men of Israel had given ground to Benjamin, because they were counting on the men they had placed in hidden positions outside Gibeah.

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

Then the men who were hiding got up and hurried and they rushed into Gibeah, and they struck all 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.

The arranged signal between the soldiers of Israel and the men hiding in secret would be that a great cloud of smoke would rise up out of 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!”

When the signal was sent the soldiers of Israel would turn from the battle. Now Benjamin began to attack and they killed about thirty men of Israel, and they said, “It is sure that 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 a pillar of smoke began to rise up out of the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the smoke rising to the sky from the whole city.

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

Then the people of Israel turned against them. The men of Benjamin were terrified, for they saw that disaster had come on 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 ran away from the people of Israel, escaping on the way to the wilderness. But the fighting overtook them. The soldiers of Israel came out of the cities and killed them where they stood.

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

They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and trampled them down at Nohah, all the way to the east side of Gibeah.

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

From the tribe of Benjamin, eighteen thousand people died, all of them men who were distinguished in battle.

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.

They turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. The Israelites killed five thousand more of them along the roads. They kept going after them, following them closely all the way to Gidom, and there they killed two thousand more.

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

All the soldiers of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand—men who were trained to fight with the sword; all of them were distinguished in battle.

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

But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness, toward the rock of Rimmon. For four months they stayed at the rock of Rimmon.

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.

The soldiers of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, including the animals and everything that they found. They also burned down every town in their path.