Judges 20

Modern

Literal

The Decree of the Assembly

¹Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.

¹And all the sons of Israel came out, and the congregation gathered together as one man from Dan and to Beersheba, and from the land of Gilead, before YHWH at Mizpah.

²The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords.

²And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, stationed themselves in the assembly of the people of God: Four hundred thousand soldiers, foot soldiers who drew the sword.

³(Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”

³And 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 wicked thing happen?”

⁴So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.

⁴And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “Into Gibeah, which is to Benjamin, I and my concubine came to lodge.

⁵And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died.

⁵And arose against me the masters of Gibeah, and they surrounded the house against me at night. They intended to kill me, and instead my concubine they ravished, so that she died.

⁶Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

⁶And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel, because they had committed lewdness and outrage in Israel.

⁷Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”

⁷Behold, all you sons of Israel, give for you a word and counsel here.”

⁸Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house.

⁸And all the people arose as one man, saying, “Not a man will go to his tent, nor will a man turn back to his house.

⁹Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.

⁹And this is the thing that we will do to Gibeah, against it by lot.

¹⁰We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah^a in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”

¹⁰And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of a myriad, to make provisions for the people, that they may repay when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, according to all the vileness that they have done in Israel.”

¹¹So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city.

¹¹And all the men of Israel were gathered against the city as one man united.

¹²And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?

¹²And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?

¹³Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.”

But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites.

¹³And now deliver up the men, the sons of worthlessness, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel.” And the Benjamite were not willing to listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

¹⁴And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.

¹⁴And the sons of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.

¹⁵On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.

¹⁵And the sons of Benjamin numbered at that time from their cities twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides those dwelling in Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred select men.

¹⁶Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.

¹⁶Among all this people were seven hundred select men, restricted of right hand, each of these slinging with a stone at a hair and not missing.

¹⁷The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.

¹⁷And the men of Israel mobilized themselves, apart from Benjamin, four hundred thousand men who drew the sword, each of these a man of war.

Civil War against Benjamin

¹⁸The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?”

“Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.

¹⁸And they arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, and the sons of Israel said, “Who shall go up of us first into battle against the sons of Benjamin?” And YHWH said, “Judah first.”

¹⁹The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.

¹⁹And the sons of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.

²⁰And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.

²⁰And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed themselves to fight at Gibeah.

²¹And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.

²¹And the sons of Benjamin came out from Gibeah and they destroyed in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men to the ground.

²²But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day.

²²And the people, the men of Israel, strengthened themselves and added to array the battle line at the place where they had arrayed on the first day.

²³They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?”

And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”

²³And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the face of YHWH until the evening, and they inquired of YHWH, saying, “Shall I add to draw near for the battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother?” And YHWH said, “Go up against him.”

²⁴On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites.

²⁴And the sons of Israel approached to the sons of Benjamin on the second day.

²⁵That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.

²⁵And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and they cut down from the sons of Israel another eighteen thousand men to the ground, all these drawing the sword.

²⁶Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.

²⁶And all the sons of Israel went up, and all the people, and they came to Bethel and wept. And they sat there before the face of YHWH and fasted that day until the evening, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the face of YHWH.

²⁷And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,

²⁷And the sons of Israel inquired of YHWH, and was there the ark of the covenant of God in those days.

²⁸and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?”

The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

²⁸And Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron stood before it in those days, saying, “Shall I add again to go out into battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?” And YHWH said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

²⁹So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.

²⁹And Israel set those lying in wait to Gibeah all around.

³⁰On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before.

³⁰And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and they arrayed against Gibeah as time upon time.

³¹The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.

³¹And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people, and they were drawn away from the city. And they began to strike down some of the people and kill some, as time upon time, in the highways, of which one goes up to Bethel and one to Gibeah, and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

³²“We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites.

But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”

³²And the sons of Benjamin said, “They are struck down before us as at first.” And the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

³³So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.^a

³³And all the men of Israel rose from their place, and arrayed at Baal-tamar, and those lying in wait of Israel burst forth from their place on the west of Gibeah.

³⁴Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them.

³⁴And came over against Gibeah ten thousand select men from all Israel, and the battle was fierce. And they did not know that evil was upon them.

³⁵The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.

³⁵And YHWH defeated Benjamin before the face of Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed in Benjamin that day twenty-five thousand and a hundred men, all these drawing the sword.

³⁶Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated.

Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah.

³⁶And the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. And the men of Israel had given ground to Benjamin, because they trusted in those lying in wait whom they had set against Gibeah.

³⁷The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.

³⁷And those lying in wait quickly rushed upon Gibeah, and those lying in wait spread out and struck all the city with the mouth of the sword.

³⁸The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

³⁸And there was a signal between the men of Israel and between those lying in wait, that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,

³⁹the men of Israel would turn in the battle.

When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.”

³⁹and the men of Israel would turn in the battle. And Benjamin had begun to strike and kill of the men of Israel—about thirty men—for they said, “Surely he is utterly struck before us, as in the first battle.”

⁴⁰But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.

⁴⁰And the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, and Benjamin looked behind them, and there was going up all the city to the heavens.

⁴¹Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them.

⁴¹And the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin were alarmed, for they saw that disaster had come upon them.

⁴²So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there.

⁴²And they turned before the faces of the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness, and the battle overtook him, and whoever came out of the cities they destroyed him in the midst of him.

⁴³They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.

⁴³They surrounded Benjamin, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the front of Gibeah toward the rising of the sun.

⁴⁴And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.

⁴⁴And fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men, all of these men of valor.

⁴⁵Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.

⁴⁵And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they gleaned on the highways five thousand men, and they pursued them relentlessly up to Gidom, and they struck two thousand of their men.

⁴⁶That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.

⁴⁶And all who fell of Benjamin on that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword, all of these men of valor.

⁴⁷But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.

⁴⁷And turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon six hundred men, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon four months.

⁴⁸And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.

⁴⁸And the men of Israel turned back against the sons of Benjamin, and they struck them with the mouth of the sword from every city—men even to beasts—even to all they found; also to all the cities that are found they set fire.