Judges 20
1 All the Israelis, from Dan [city in the north] to Beersheba [city in the south], and even from [the] Gilead [region on the east side of the Jordan River, heard what had happened. So they] they gathered together at Mizpah, [at the place where they worshiped] Yahweh.
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the Congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, vnto the Lord in Mizpeh.
2 The leaders of [eleven of] the tribes of Israel stood in front of the people who gathered there. There were 400,000 men with swords who were there.
And the chiefe of all the people, and all the tribes of Israel assembled in the Congregation of the people of God foure hundreth thousand footemen that drewe sword.
3 The people of the tribe of Benjamin heard that the other Israelis had gone up to Mizpah, [but none of the men from their tribe went to the meeting there]. The Israelis who had come to Mizpah asked about the evil thing that had happened.
(Now the children of Beniamin heard that the children of Israel were gone vp to Mizpeh) Then the children of Israel saide, Howe is this wickednesse committed?
4 So the husband of the woman who had been killed replied, “My slave wife and I came to Gibeah [city], wanting to stay there that night.
And the same Leuite, the womans husband that was slaine, answered and saide, I came vnto Gibeah that is in Beniamin with my concubine to lodge,
5 That evening, the men of Gibeah came to attack me. They surrounded the house [where I was staying] and wanted to [have sex with me and then] kill me. They [raped and] abused my slave wife [all night], and she died.
And the men of Gibeah arose against me, and beset the house round about vpon mee by night, thinking to haue slaine me, and haue forced my concubine that she is dead.
6 I took her body home and cut it into pieces. Then I sent one piece to each area of Israel, [because I wanted you all to know about] this wicked and disgraceful/shameful thing [that] has been done here in Israel.
Then I tooke my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the countrey of the inheritance of Israel: for they haue committed abomination and villenie in Israel.
7 So now, all you Israeli people, speak, and tell me what you think should be done!”
Behold, ye are al children of Israel: giue your aduise, and counsell herein.
8 All the people stood up, and in unison said, “None of us will go home! Not one of us will return to his house!
Then all the people arose as one man, saying, There shall not a man of vs goe to his tent, neither any turne into his house.
9 This is what we must do to [the people of] Gibeah. First, we will (cast lots/throw marked stones) [to determine which group should attack them].
But now this is that thing which we will do to Gibeah: we wil goe vp by lot against it,
10 We will choose (one tenth/one from every ten) of the men from all the Israeli tribes. Those men will go and find food for the men who will go to attack the people of Gibeah. Then the other men will go to Gibeah to (pay the people back/punish them) for this terrible thing that they have done [here] in Israel.”
And we wil take ten men of the hundreth throughout al the tribes of Israel, and an hundreth of the thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand to bring vitaile for the people that they may do (when they come to Gibeah of Beniamin) according to all the villeny, that it hath done in Israel.
11 And all the Israeli people agreed [that the people of Gibeah should be punished].
So all the men of Israel were gathered against the citie, knit together, as one man.
12 Then the Israeli men sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin. They demanded, “Do you realize that some of your men have done a very evil thing?
And the tribes of Israel sent men through al the tribe of Beniamin, saying, What wickednesse is this that is committed among you?
13 Bring those wicked men to us, in order that we can execute them. [By doing that], we will be doing what should be done because of this evil thing that has happened in Israel.” But the [people of the] tribe of Benjamin did not pay attention to their fellow Israelis.
Nowe therefore deliuer vs those wicked men which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away euill from Israel: but the children of Beniamin would not obey the voyce of their brethren the children of Israel.
14 The men of the tribe of Benjamin left their cities and gathered at Gibeah to fight the [other] Israelis.
But ye children of Beniamin gathered them selues together out of the cities vnto Gibeah, to come out and fight against the children of Israel.
15 In that one day the men of the tribe of Benjamin recruited 26,000 soldiers who knew how to fight using swords. They also chose/recruited 700 men from Gibeah.
And ye children of Beniamin were nombred at that time out of the cities sixe and twenty thousand men that drewe sworde, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were nombred seuen hundreth chosen men.
16 From all those soldiers there were 700 men who were left-handed, and each of them could sling a stone at [a target that was very small and as narrow as] a hair, and the stone always hit the target!
Of all this people were seuen hundreth chosen men, being left handed: all these could sling stones at an heare breadth, and not faile.
17 There were 400,000 men from the other Israeli tribes who had swords.
Also the men of Israel, beside Beniamin, were nombred foure hundreth thousande men that drew sword, euen all men of warre.
18 Those other Israelis went up to Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should be the first to attack the men from the tribe of Benjamin?” Yahweh answered, “[The men from the tribe of] Judah should go first.”
And the children of Israel arose, and went vp to the house of God, and asked of God, saying, Which of vs shall goe vp first to fight against the children of Beniamin? And the Lord said, Iudah shalbe first.
19 The next morning, the Israeli men went and set up their tents near Gibeah.
Then the children of Israel arose vp earely and camped against Gibeah.
20 Then they went to fight against [the men from the tribe of] Benjamin, and stood in their positions for fighting a battle, [facing Gibeah].
And the men of Israel went out to battell against Beniamin, and the men of Israel put themselues in aray to fight against the beside Gibeah.
21 The men of the tribe of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and fought against them, and they killed 22,000 Israeli men on that day.
And the children of Beniamin came out of Gibeah, and slewe downe to the ground of the Israelites that day two and twentie thousand men.
22 [Late that afternoon], the [remaining] Israeli men went to the place of worship and cried until the sun set. Then they asked Yahweh, “Should we attack the men of the tribe of Benjamin again, even though they are our fellow Israelis?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, attack them again.” So the Israeli men encouraged each other.
And the people, the men of Israel plucked vp their hearts, and set their battel againe in aray in the place where they put them in aray the first day.
(For the children of Israel had gone vp and wept before the Lord vnto the euening, and had asked of the Lord, saying, Shall I goe againe to battel against the children of Beniamin my brethren? and the Lord said, Go vp against them)
24 The next day they again stood in their positions for fighting, just like they had done on the previous day.
Then the children of Israel came neere against the children of Beniamin the second day.
25 The men of the tribe of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and attacked the Israelis, and killed 18,000 more of their men.
Also the second day Beniamin came forth to meete them out of Gibeah, and slewe downe to the grounde of the children of Israel againe eighteene thousand men: all they could handle the sword.
26 [In the afternoon], all the people of Israel [who had not been killed] again went to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to Yahweh, and they (fasted/abstained from eating food) until it was evening. They brought some offerings which they burned completely [on the altar], and they also brought some offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh.
Then al the children of Israel went vp and all the people came also vnto the house of God, and wept and sate there before the Lord and fasted that day vnto the euening, and offred burnt offrings and peace offrings before the Lord.
27 At that time, the Sacred Chest that contained the stone tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments was there at Bethel. A priest named Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, often stood in front of that chest [and talked with Yahweh]. While he stood there on that day, he asked Yahweh, “Shall we go again to fight against our fellow Israelis from the tribe of Benjamin, or shall we stop fighting against them?” Yahweh answered, “Go again tomorrow, because tomorrow I will enable you to defeat them.”
And the children of Israel asked the Lord (for there was the Arke of the couenat of God in those dayes,
And Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar, the sonne of Aaron stoode before it at that time) saying, Shall I yet goe anie more to battel against the children of Beniamin my brethren, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go vp: for to morowe I will deliuer them into your hand.
29 So [the next day, 10,000 of] the Israeli men (set up ambushes/went to hide) [in the fields] around Gibeah.
And Israel set men to lie in waite round about Gibeah.
30 The [other] Israeli men went and stood in their positions for fighting a battle just like they had done on the previous days.
And the children of Israel went vp against the children of Beniamin the third day, and put theselues in aray against Gibeah, as at other times.
31 When the men of the tribe of Benjamin came out of the city to fight against them, the Israeli men retreated away from the city, and the men of the tribe of Benjamin pursued them. The men of the tribe of Benjamin killed many Israelis, like they had done before. They killed about 30 Israelis. They killed some in the fields, and they killed some on the road that went to Bethel and on the road that went to Gibeah.
Then the children of Beniamin comming out against the people, were drawen from the citie: and they began to smite of ye people and kill as at other times, euen by the wayes in the fielde (whereof one goeth vp to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah) vpon a thirtie men of Israel.
32 The men of the tribe of Benjamin said, “We are defeating them like we did before!” But then Israeli men did what they had planned. The main group of Israeli men retreated a short distance from the city, to [trick] the men of Gibeah and cause them to pursue the Israeli men along the roads outside the city.
(For the children of Beniamin sayd, They are fallen before vs, as at the first. But the children of Israel saide, Let vs flee and plucke them away from the citie vnto the hie wayes)
33 The main group of Israeli men left their positions and retreated, and then they stood in their battle positions again at a place named Baal-Tamar.
And all the men of Israel rose vp out of their place, and put themselues in aray at Baal-tamar: and the men that lay in wayte of the Israelites came forth of their place, euen out of the medowes of Gibeah,
34 Then [while the men of Gibeah were running out of the city toward them], the other 10,000 Israelis came out from the places where they had been hiding, west of Gibeah. They were men who had come from all parts of Israel. There was a very big battle. But the men of the tribe of Benjamin did not know that they were about to suffer a disastrous defeat.
And they came ouer against Gibeah, ten thousande chosen men of all Israel, and the battell was sore: for they knewe not that the euill was neere them.
35 Yahweh enabled the Israeli men to defeat the men of the tribe of Benjamin. They killed 25,000 of them, even though they all were using swords. [This is what happened]:
And the Lord smote Beniamin before Israel, and the children of Israel destroyed of the Beniamites the same day fiue and twenty thousand and an hundreth men: all they could handle the sword.
36 The main group of Israeli men arranged with the men who would be hiding that they should send up a smoke signal to enable the main group of soldiers to know when they should attack. Then the main group of Israeli men retreated for a short distance, because they knew that the other Israeli men who had been hiding on the other side of Gibeah would attack the people of the tribe of Benjamin by surprise. So [after the main group of Israeli men retreated a little distance], the men who had been hiding rushed out and ran into Gibeah and used their swords to kill everyone in the city. [Then they started to burn the buildings].
So the children of Beniamin sawe that they were striken downe: for the men of Israel gaue place to the Beniamites, because they trusted to the men that lay in waite, which they had laide beside Gibeah.
And they that lay in wait hasted, and brake forth toward Gibeah, and the ambushment drewe themselues along, and smote all the citie with the edge of the sword.
Also the men of Israel had appoynted a certaine time with the ambushmentes, that they should make a great flame and smoke rise vp out of the citie.
39 By that time, the men of the tribe of Benjamin said, “We are winning the battle, as we did before!”
And when the men of Israel retired in the battel, Beniamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirtie persons: for they said, Surely they are striken downe before vs, as in the first battell.
40 But then smoke [from the burning buildings] began to rise up from the city. The men of the tribe of Benjamin turned around and saw that the whole city was burning.
But when the flame bega to arise out of the citie, as a pillar of smoke, the Beniamites looked backe, and behold, the flame of the citie began to ascend vp to heauen.
41 Then the main group of Israeli men [also saw the smoke, and they knew that the smoke signaled that they should] turn around and begin to attack. The men of the tribe of Benjamin were very afraid, because they realized that they were about to suffer a disastrous defeat.
Then the men of Israel turned againe, and the men of Beniamin were astonied: for they saw that euill was neere vnto them.
42 So the men of the tribe of Benjamin tried to run away toward the desert to escape from the Israeli men, but they were not able to escape, because the Israeli men who had burned the two cities came out of those cities and killed many of them.
Therefore they fled before the men of Israel vnto the way of the wildernesse, but the battell ouertooke them: also they which came out of the cities, slew them among them.
43 They surrounded [some of] the men of the tribe of Benjamin, and pursued the others to the area east of Gibeah.
Thus they compassed the Beniamites about, and chased them at ease, and ouerranne them, euen ouer against Gibeah on the Eastside.
44 They killed 18,000 strong soldiers of the tribe of Benjamin.
And there were slaine of Beniamin eyghteene thousad men, which were all men of warre.
45 Then the rest of the men of the tribe of Benjamin realized that they had been defeated. They ran toward the desert to Rimmon Rock, but the Israeli men killed 5,000 more men of the tribe of Benjamin along the roads. They pursued the rest of them to Gidom, and they killed 2,000 more men of the tribe of Benjamin there.
And they turned and fled to the wildernes vnto the rocke of Rimmon: and the Israelites glayned of them by the way fiue thousand men, and pursued after them vnto Gidom, and slewe two thousand men of them,
46 Altogether, there were 25,000 men of the tribe of Benjamin who were killed, all of whom had swords.
So that all that were slayne that day of Beniamin, were fiue and twentie thousand men that drewe sword, which were all men of warre:
47 But 600 men of the tribe of Benjamin ran to Rimmon Rock in the desert. They stayed there for four months.
But sixe hundreth men turned and fled to the wildernesse vnto the rocke of Rimmon, and abode in the rocke of Rimmon foure moneths.
48 Then the Israeli men went back to the land belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, and killed the people in every city. They also killed all the animals, and destroyed everything else that they found there. And they burned all the cities that they came to.
Then the men of Israel returned vnto the children of Beniamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword from the men of the citie vnto the beasts, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they coulde come by.
