Judges 20
Christian Standard Bible
War against Benjamin
20 All the Israelites from Dan to Beer-sheba(A) and from the land of Gilead came out, and the community assembled as one body before the Lord at Mizpah.(B) 2 The leaders(C) of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: four hundred thousand armed foot soldiers. 3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.
The Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this evil act happen?”
4 The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, “I went to Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night. 5 Citizens of Gibeah came to attack me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, but they raped my concubine, and she died. 6 Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout Israel’s territory, because they have committed a wicked outrage in(D) Israel. 7 Look, all of you are Israelites. Give your judgment and verdict here and now.”
8 Then all the people stood united and said, “None of us will go to his tent or return to his house. 9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will attack it. By lot 10 we will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred out of every thousand, and one thousand out of every ten thousand to get provisions for the troops when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for all the outrage they committed in Israel.”
11 So all the men of Israel(E) gathered united against the city. 12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this evil act that has happened among you? 13 Hand over the wicked men(F) in Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge evil(G) from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. 14 Instead, the Benjaminites gathered together from their cities to Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites. 15 On that day the Benjaminites mobilized twenty-six thousand armed men(H) from their cities, besides seven hundred fit young men rallied by the inhabitants of Gibeah. 16 There were seven hundred fit young men who were left-handed among all these troops; all could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17 The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized four hundred thousand armed men, every one an experienced warrior. 18 They set out, went to Bethel, and inquired of God.(I) The Israelites asked, “Who is to go first to fight for us against the Benjaminites?”
And the Lord answered, “Judah will be first.”
19 In the morning, the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah. 20 The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took their battle positions against Gibeah. 21 The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered twenty-two thousand men of Israel on the field that day. 22 But the Israelite troops rallied and again took their battle positions in the same place where they positioned themselves on the first day. 23 They went up, wept(J) before the Lord until evening,(K) and inquired of him, “Should we again attack our brothers the Benjaminites?”
And the Lord answered, “Fight against them.”
24 On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites. 25 That same day the Benjaminites came out from Gibeah to meet them and slaughtered an additional eighteen thousand Israelites on the field; all were armed.
26 The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the Lord.(L) They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. 27 Then the Israelites inquired of the Lord. In those days, the ark of the covenant(M) of God was there, 28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron,(N) was serving before it. The Israelites asked, “Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop?”
The Lord answered, “Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow.”(O) 29 So Israel set up an ambush(P) around Gibeah. 30 On the third day the Israelites fought against the Benjaminites and took their battle positions against Gibeah as before. 31 Then the Benjaminites came out against the troops and were drawn away from the city.(Q) They began to attack the troops as before, killing about thirty men of Israel on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah through the open country. 32 The Benjaminites said, “We are defeating them as before.”
But the Israelites said, “Let’s flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.” 33 So all the men of Israel got up from their places and took their battle positions at Baal-tamar, while the Israelites in ambush charged out of their places west of[a] Geba.(R) 34 Then ten thousand fit young men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was about to strike them. 35 The Lord defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 men of Benjamin; all were armed. 36 Then the Benjaminites realized they had been defeated.
The men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin, because they were confident in the ambush they had set against Gibeah. 37 The men in ambush had rushed quickly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.(S) 38 The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, 39 the men of Israel would return to the battle. When Benjamin had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They’re defeated before us, just as they were in the first battle.”(T) 40 But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, Benjamin looked behind them, and the whole city was going up in smoke.[b] 41 Then the men of Israel returned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had struck them. 42 They retreated before the men of Israel toward the wilderness,(U) but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities[c] slaughtered those between them. 43 They surrounded the Benjaminites, pursued them, and easily overtook them near Gibeah toward the east. 44 There were eighteen thousand men who died from Benjamin; all were warriors. 45 Then Benjamin turned and fled toward the wilderness to Rimmon Rock,(V) and Israel killed five thousand men on the highways. They overtook them at Gidom and struck two thousand more dead.
46 All the Benjaminites who died that day were twenty-five thousand armed men; all were warriors. 47 But six hundred men escaped into the wilderness to Rimmon Rock and stayed there four months. 48 The men of Israel turned back against the other Benjaminites and killed them with their swords—the entire city, the animals, and everything that remained. They also burned all the cities that remained.
Judges 20
New American Standard Bible
Resolve to Punish the Guilty
20 Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one person to the Lord at (A)Mizpah. 2 And the [a]leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot [b]soldiers (B)who drew the sword. 3 (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?” 4 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. 5 But the [c](C)citizens of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night, [d]threatening me. They intended to kill me; instead, they (D)raped my concubine so that she died. 6 And I (E)took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for (F)they have committed an outrageous sin and vile act in Israel. 7 Behold, all you sons of Israel, (G)give your [e]response and advice here.”
8 Then all the people rose up as one person, saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us go home. 9 But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot. 10 And we will take ten men out of a hundred throughout the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand to [f]supply provisions for the people, so that when they come to [g]Gibeah of Benjamin, they may [h]punish them for all the vile sin that they have committed in Israel.” 11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, [i]united as one man.
12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire [j]tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has taken place among you? 13 Now then, turn over the men, the [k](H)worthless men who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and (I)remove this wickedness from Israel.” But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. 14 Instead, the sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. 15 From the cities on that day the (J)sons of Benjamin were [l]counted, twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were [m]counted, seven hundred choice men. 16 Out of all these people seven hundred (K)choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17 Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were [n]counted, four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.
Civil War, Benjamin Defeated
18 Now the sons of Israel set out, went up to Bethel, and (L)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.”
19 So the sons of Israel got up in the morning and camped against Gibeah. 20 The men of Israel went to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel lined up for battle against them at Gibeah. 21 Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and [o](M)struck to the ground on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel. 22 But the people, the men of Israel, showed themselves courageous and lined up for battle again in the place where they had lined themselves up on the first day. 23 And (N)the sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and (O)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall we again advance for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”
24 So the sons of Israel [p]came against the sons of Benjamin on the second day. 25 And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and struck to the ground again eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel; all of these drew the sword. 26 Then (P)all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel, and they wept and remained there before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the sons of Israel (Q)inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 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 stop?” And the Lord said, “Go up, (R)for tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”
29 (S)So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. 30 And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and lined up against Gibeah as at other times. 31 (T)When the sons of Benjamin went out against the people, they were lured away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the roads (one of which goes up to Bethel, and the other to Gibeah), and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the sons of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, like the first time.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let’s flee, so that we may draw them away from the city to the roads.” 33 Then all the men of Israel rose from their place and lined up at Baal-tamar; (U)and the men of Israel in ambush charged from their place, from Maareh-geba. 34 When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became [q]fierce; (V)but [r]Benjamin did not know that disaster was [s]close to them. 35 And the Lord struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that [t]day, all who drew the sword.
36 So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were [u]defeated. (W)When the men of Israel gave [v]ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, 37 (X)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. 38 Now the agreed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was (Y)that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city. 39 Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, (Z)for they said, “Undoubtedly they are [w]defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 40 But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked (AA)behind them; and behold, the entire city was going up in smoke to heaven. 41 Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that (AB)disaster was [x]close to them. 42 Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel to flee in the (AC)direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who attacked from the cities were annihilating them in the midst of them. 43 (AD)They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest, and trampled them down opposite Gibeah toward the [y]east. 44 So eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all of these were valiant men. 45 [z]The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of (AE)Rimmon, but they [aa]caught five thousand of them on the roads and overtook them [ab]at Gidom, and [ac]killed two thousand of them. 46 So all those of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were valiant men. 47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. 48 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.
Footnotes
- Judges 20:2 Lit cornerstones
- Judges 20:2 Lit men
- Judges 20:5 Or landowners
- Judges 20:5 Lit against me
- Judges 20:7 Lit word
- Judges 20:10 Lit take
- Judges 20:10 Heb Geba
- Judges 20:10 Lit do
- Judges 20:11 Lit companions as
- Judges 20:12 Lit tribes
- Judges 20:13 Lit sons of Belial
- Judges 20:15 Or mustered
- Judges 20:15 Or mustered
- Judges 20:17 Or mustered
- Judges 20:21 Lit destroyed
- Judges 20:24 Lit approached
- Judges 20:34 Lit heavy
- Judges 20:34 Lit they
- Judges 20:34 Lit touching
- Judges 20:35 Lit day; all these drew
- Judges 20:36 Lit struck
- Judges 20:36 Lit place
- Judges 20:39 Lit struck
- Judges 20:41 Lit touching
- Judges 20:43 Lit sunrise
- Judges 20:45 As in LXX; Heb And they
- Judges 20:45 Lit gleaned
- Judges 20:45 Lit as far as
- Judges 20:45 Lit struck
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