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.
And they went out all [the] people of Israel and it was assembled the congregation like a man one from Dan and to Beer Sheba and [the] land of Gilead to Yahweh Mizpah.
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 they presented themselves [the] corners of all the people all [the] tribes of Israel in [the] assembly of [the] people of God four hundred thousand man on foot [who] drew a 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.
And they heard [the] descendants of Benjamin that they had gone up [the] people of Israel Mizpah and they said [the] people of Israel speak how? did it occur the evil this.
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 he answered the man the Levite [the] husband of the woman murdered and he said Gibeah towards which [belongs] to Benjamin I came I and concubine my to spend [the] night.
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 they rose up on me [the] citizens of Gibeah and they surrounded on me the house night me they intended to kill and concubine my they abused and she died.
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.
And I took hold on concubine my and I cut in pieces her and I sent off her in all [the] land of [the] inheritance of Israel for they have done wickedness and disgraceful folly in Israel.
7 So now, all you Israeli people, speak, and tell me what you think should be done!”
Here! all of you O people of Israel give for yourselves a word and counsel here.
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!
And it arose all the people like a man one saying not we will go anyone to tent his and not we will depart anyone to house his.
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].
And now this [is] the thing which we will do to Gibeah on it by lot.
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 will take ten men to the hundred of all - [the] tribes of Israel and one hundred to the thousand and one thousand to the ten thousand to bring provision[s] for the people to do to coming their to Geba of Benjamin according to all the disgraceful folly which it did in Israel.
11 And all the Israeli people agreed [that the people of Gibeah should be punished].
And it gathered every man of Israel to the city like a man one united.
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 they sent [the] tribes of Israel men in all [the] tribes of Benjamin saying what? [is] the evil this which it has happened 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.
And therefore give up the men sons of worthlessness who [are] in Gibeah so we may put to death them and let us remove evil from Israel and not (they were willing [the] descendants *Q(K)*) of Benjamin to listen to [the] voice of brothers their [the] people of Israel.
14 The men of the tribe of Benjamin left their cities and gathered at Gibeah to fight the [other] Israelis.
And they gathered [the] descendants of Benjamin from the cities Gibeah towards to go out for battle with [the] people 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 they were mustered [the] descendants of Benjamin on the day that from the cities twenty and six thousand man [who] drew a sword apart from [the] inhabitants of Gibeah [who] they were mustered seven hundred man chosen.
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!
[were] from All - the people this seven hundred man chosen impeded [the] hand of right his all this [was] slinging with the stone to the single hair and not he missed.
17 There were 400,000 men from the other Israeli tribes who had swords.
And [the] man of Israel they were mustered apart from Benjamin four hundred thousand man [who] drew a sword all this [was] man of war.
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 they arose and they went up Beth-el and they asked by God and they said [the] people of Israel who? will he go up for us at the first to the battle with [the] descendants of Benjamin and he said Yahweh Judah [will be] at the first.
19 The next morning, the Israeli men went and set up their tents near Gibeah.
And they arose [the] people of Israel in the morning and they encamped on 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 he went out [the] man of Israel to the battle with Benjamin and they deployed with them [the] man of Israel battle to 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 they went out [the] descendants of Benjamin from Gibeah and they destroyed among Israel on the day that two and twenty thousand man [the] ground towards.
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 it showed itself strong the people [the] man of Israel and they repeated to deploy battle in the place where they had deployed there on the day first.
And they went up [the] people of Israel and they wept before Yahweh until the evening and they enquired by Yahweh saying ¿ will I repeat to draw near for battle with [the] descendants of Benjamin brother my and he said Yahweh go up against him.
24 The next day they again stood in their positions for fighting, just like they had done on the previous day.
And they drew near [the] people of Israel to [the] descendants of Benjamin on the day second.
25 The men of the tribe of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and attacked the Israelis, and killed 18,000 more of their men.
And it went out Benjamin - to meet them - from Gibeah on the day second and they destroyed among [the] people of Israel again eight-teen thousand man [the] ground towards all these [were] drawers of a 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.
And they went up all [the] people of Israel and all the people and they came Beth-el and they wept and they sat there before Yahweh and they fasted on the day that until the evening and they offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.
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 they enquired [the] people of Israel by Yahweh and [was] there [the] ark of [the] covenant of God in the days those.
And Phinehas [the] son Eleazar [the] son of Aaron [was] standing - before it in the days those saying ¿ will I repeat again to go out for battle with [the] descendants of Benjamin brother my or? will I cease and he said Yahweh go up for tomorrow I will give him in hand your.
29 So [the next day, 10,000 of] the Israeli men (set up ambushes/went to hide) [in the fields] around Gibeah.
And it set Israel ambushers to Gibeah round about.
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 they went up [the] people of Israel against [the] descendants of Benjamin on the day third and they deployed against Gibeah as time on time.
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.
And they went out [the] descendants of Benjamin to meet the people they were drawn away from the city and they began to strike down some of the people fatally wounded as time - on time in the highways which one [is] going up Beth-el and one Gibeah towards in the field about thirty man in 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.
And they said [the] descendants of Benjamin [are] defeated they before us as at the former [time] and [the] people of Israel they said let us flee and we will draw away him from the city to the highways.
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 every - man of Israel they rose from place his and they deployed at Baal Tamar and [the] ambusher of Israel [was] bursting forth from place his from [the] open place of Geba.
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 from before to Gibeah ten thousand man chosen from all Israel and the battle it was heavy and they not they knew that [was] about to touch to them calamity.
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 he defeated Yahweh - Benjamin before Israel and they destroyed [the] people of Israel among Benjamin on the day that twenty and five thousand and one hundred man all these [was] drawing a 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].
And they saw [the] descendants of Benjamin for they were defeated and they gave [the] man of Israel place to Benjamin for they trusted to the ambusher whom they had set against Gibeah.
And the ambusher they made haste and they made a raid against Gibeah and he marched the ambusher and he struck all the city to [the] mouth of [the] sword.
And the appointed signal it belonged to [the] man of Israel with the ambusher make great to cause to go up they [the] rising of the smoke from the city.
39 By that time, the men of the tribe of Benjamin said, “We are winning the battle, as we did before!”
And he turned [the] man of Israel in the battle and Benjamin it began to strike down fatally wounded among [the] man of Israel about thirty man for they said surely certainly [is] defeated it before us like the battle first.
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.
And the rising it began to go up from the city a pillar of smoke and it turned Benjamin behind it and there! it went up [the] entirety of the city the heavens towards.
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.
And [the] man of Israel he turned and he was terrified [the] man of Benjamin if he saw that it had touched to him calamity.
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.
And they turned before [the] man of Israel to [the] way of the wilderness and the battle it overtook him and [those] who [were] from the cities [were] destroying him in [the] midst of him.
43 They surrounded [some of] the men of the tribe of Benjamin, and pursued the others to the area east of Gibeah.
They surrounded Benjamin they pursued him rest they trod down him to opposite Gibeah from [the] rising of [the] sun.
44 They killed 18,000 strong soldiers of the tribe of Benjamin.
And they fell of Benjamin eight-teen thousand man all these [were] men of strength.
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 they fled the wilderness towards to [the] rock of Rimmon and they gleaned him in the highways five thousand man and they pursued closely after him to Gidom and they struck down of him two thousand man.
46 Altogether, there were 25,000 men of the tribe of Benjamin who were killed, all of whom had swords.
And it was all those [who] fell of Benjamin twenty and five thousand man [who] drew a sword on the day that all these [were] men of strength.
47 But 600 men of the tribe of Benjamin ran to Rimmon Rock in the desert. They stayed there for four months.
And they turned and they fled the wilderness towards to [the] rock of Rimmon six hundred man and they dwelt at [the] rock of Rimmon four months.
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.
And [the] man of Israel they turned back against [the] descendants of Benjamin and they struck them to [the] mouth of [the] sword from a city of soundness unto animal unto everything which was found also all the cities which were found they sent in fire.
