Judges 20:18-34

New International Version

¹⁸ The Israelites went up to Bethel^[a](A) and inquired of God.^(B) They said, “Who of us is to go up first^(C) to fight^(D) against the Benjamites?”

The Lord replied, “Judah^(E) shall go first.”

¹⁹ The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. ²⁰ The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. ²¹ The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites^(F) on the battlefield that day. ²² But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. ²³ The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord^(G) until evening,^(H) and they inquired of the Lord.^(I) They said, “Shall we go up again to fight^(J) against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”

The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”

²⁴ Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. ²⁵ This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites,^(K) all of them armed with swords.

²⁶ Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord.^(L) They fasted^(M) that day until evening and presented burnt offerings^(N) and fellowship offerings^(O) to the Lord.^{(P) 27} And the Israelites inquired of the Lord.^(Q) (In those days the ark of the covenant of God^(R) was there, ²⁸ with Phinehas son of Eleazar,^(S) the son of Aaron, ministering before it.)^(T) 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.^(U)”

²⁹ Then Israel set an ambush^(V) around Gibeah. ³⁰ They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. ³¹ The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away^(W) 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^(X) and the other to Gibeah. ³² While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,”^(Y) the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”

³³ 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^(Z) on the west^[b] of Gibeah.^{[c] 34} 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^(AA) how near disaster was.^(AB)