Judges 20

Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the Lord in Mizpah.

Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.

The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, four hundred thousand men armed with swords.

The ^[a]chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot ^[b]soldiers who drew the sword.

(The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, “Tell us how this awful thing happened.”

(Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this wickedness take place?”

So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.

So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin.

During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died.

But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me; instead, they ravished my concubine so that she died.

I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel’s inheritance, because they committed this lewd and outrageous act in Israel.

And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do.”

Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your advice and counsel here.”

All the men rose up together as one, saying, “None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house.

Then all the people arose as one man, saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house.

But now this is what we’ll do to Gibeah: We’ll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots.

But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot.

We’ll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah^[a] in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel.”

And we will take 10 men out of 100 throughout the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000 to ^[c]supply food for the people, that when they come to ^[d]Gibeah of Benjamin, they may ^[e]punish them for all the disgraceful acts that they have committed in Israel.”

So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city.

Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man.

The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What about this awful crime that was committed among you?

Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire ^[f]tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has taken place among you?

Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.”

But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.

Now then, deliver up the men, the ^[g]worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel.” But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites.

The sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.

At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred able young men from those living in Gibeah.

From the cities on that day the sons of Benjamin were ^[h]numbered, 26,000 men who draw the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were ^[i]numbered, 700 choice men.

Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.

Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were ^[j]numbered, 400,000 men who draw the sword; all these were men of war.

Civil War, Benjamin Defeated

The Israelites went up to Bethel^[b] and inquired of God. They said, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?”

The Lord replied, “Judah shall go first.”

Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, “Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” Then the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”

The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah.

So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah.

The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah.

The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed for battle against them at Gibeah.

The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.

Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and ^[k]felled to the ground on that day 22,000 men of Israel.

But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day.

But the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day.

The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and they inquired of the Lord. They said, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”

The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”

The sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”

Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day.

Then the sons of Israel ^[l]came against the sons of Benjamin the second day.

This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords.

Benjamin went out ^[m]against them from Gibeah the second day and ^[n]felled to the ground again 18,000 men of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword.

Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.

Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,

The sons of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?”

The Lord responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.”

and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah.

So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before.

The sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as at other times.

The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads—the one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.

The sons of Benjamin went out ^[o]against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike ^[p]and kill some of the people as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,” the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”

The sons of Benjamin said, “They are struck down before us, as at the first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways.”

All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place on the west^[c] of Gibeah.^[d]

Then all the men of Israel arose from their place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel in ambush broke out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba.

Then ten thousand of Israel’s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was.

When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became ^[q]fierce; but ^[r]Benjamin did not know that ^[s]disaster was ^[t]close to them.

The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.

And the Lord struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, all ^[u]who draw the sword.

Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten.

Now the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah.

So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were ^[v]defeated. When the men of Israel gave ^[w]ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah,

Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword.

the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.

The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

and then the Israelites would counterattack.

The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, “We are defeating them as in the first battle.”

Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike ^[x]and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, “Surely they are ^[y]defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke.

But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven.

Then the Israelites counterattacked, and the Benjamites were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come on them.

Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that ^[z]disaster was ^[aa]close to them.

So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the towns cut them down there.

Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel toward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.

They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily^[e] overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.

They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the ^[ab]east.

Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters.

Thus 18,000 men of Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors.

As they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more.

^[ac]The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, but they ^[ad]caught 5,000 of them on the highways and overtook them ^[ae]at Gidom and ^[af]killed 2,000 of them.

On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters.

So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors.

But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.

But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.

The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire.

The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found.