Judges, 20

1. Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

1. So all the children of Israel, the whole community from Dan to Beer-sheba, gathered as one man, including the land of Gilead, before Yahweh at Mizpah.

2. And the chief of all the people, [even] of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

2. The heads of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel came to the assembly of the people of God: four hundred thousand men on foot, all armed with swords.

3. (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell [us], how was this wickedness?

3. The men of the tribe of Benjamin also knew that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The sons of Israel said, "Tell us how this crime happened."

4. And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that [belongeth] to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

4. The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, addressed them and said, "I arrived at Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night there.

5. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, [and] thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

5. By night, the residents of Gibeah showed up and surrounded the house, intending to harm us. They were determined to kill me, and they abused my concubine in such a way that she died.

6. And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

6. I then took her, cut her into pieces, one piece to each territory of Israel, because what they have done is a shame for Israel.

7. Behold, ye [are] all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

7. Now that you are here, all sons of Israel, discuss among yourselves and make a decision now."

8. And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any [of us] go to his tent, neither will we any [of us] turn into his house.

8. All the people rose as one man and said, "None of us shall return to his tent nor go to his house.

9. But now this [shall be] the thing which we will do to Gibeah; [we will go up] by lot against it;

9. This is what we will do with the people of Gibeah: we will draw lots

10. And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

10. and will take from the tribes of Israel ten men for every hundred, a hundred for every thousand, and a thousand for every ten thousand. They shall gather provisions for the troops who will go to punish Gibeah in Benjamin for the crime its inhabitants have committed in Israel."

11. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

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

12. And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness [is] this that is done among you?

12. The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the whole tribe of Benjamin and said to them: "What is this crime that has been committed among you?

13. Now therefore deliver [us] the men, the children of Belial, which [are] in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

13. Hand over those wicked men of Gibeah to us, that we may kill them and banish the evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites did not mind their Israelite brothers.

14. But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

14. Meanwhile, the Benjaminites also left their cities and gathered at Gibeah to face the Israelites.

15. And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

15. That day the Benjaminites who came from different cities totaled twenty-six thousand men, armed with swords, without counting the inhabitants of Gibeah.

16. Among all this people [there were] seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair [breadth], and not miss.

16. Among them were seven hundred valiant men, all left-handed and able to sling a stone at a hair's breadth without missing.

17. And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these [were] men of war.

17. The people of Israel also counted their men. Without counting Benjamin, there were four hundred thousand men, able to draw sword, all men of war.

18. And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah [shall go up] first.

18. So they set out and went up to Bethel where they asked God: "Who among us shall go up first to fight the sons of Benjamin?" And Yahweh answered, "Judah shall go up first."

19. And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

19. The Israelites rose early and encamped opposite Gibeah.

20. And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.

20. They went out to fight against Benjamin and drew up the battle line against Gibeah.

21. And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.

21. But the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and killed twenty-two thousand Israelites.

22. And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

22. On the second day, the sons of Israel attacked the Benjaminites.

23. (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

23. The sons of Israel then went up to weep before Yahweh until evening, and asked Yahweh, saying, "Shall we fight again with the sons of our brother Benjamin?" Yahweh answered, "Go up against them."

24. And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.

24. So the people, the troops of Israel, regained their courage and returned to their former battle line.

25. And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

25. On that day, too, the Benjaminites went out against them and killed eighteen thousand sword-wielding Israelites.

26. Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

26. Then all the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel. There they sat weeping before Yahweh. They fasted the whole day until evening and presented burnt and peace offerings before Yahweh,

27. And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God [was] there in those days,

27. for the Ark of the Covenant was there,

28. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

28. with Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, as its minister. They asked: "Shall we come out again and fight the sons of our brother Benjamin, or not?" Yahweh replied, "Go up tomorrow, and I will give them into your hands."

29. And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

29. Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

30. And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

30. On the third day, the sons of Israel marched against Gibeah and positioned themselves in the battle line as on previous times.

31. And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, [and] were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, [and] kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

31. The sons of Benjamin went out against them, but the Israelites cut off the way that led back to the city. The Benjaminites began as before to attack the men of Israel, killing about thirty men on the roads going up to Bethel and to Gibeah.

32. And the children of Benjamin said, They [are] smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.

32. So the Benjaminites thought: "We have defeated them again as before." But the Israelites said to themselves: "Let us flee to draw them away from the city and cut off the roads."

33. And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, [even] out of the meadows of Gibeah.

33. All the men of Israel moved from their camp and took up position at Baal-Tamar, while those who were in ambush rushed out of their place to the west of Gibeah.

34. And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil [was] near them.

34. So ten thousand chosen men from all Israel came against Gibeah. The battle was fought hard, and the Benjaminites did not notice the calamity which was to come upon them.

35. And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

35. Yahweh defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites killed twenty-five thousand Benjaminites, all sword-wielding men.

36. So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

36. The Benjaminites thought they were victorious, but the men of Israel gave them ground, because they relied on the ambush they had set against Gibeah.

37. And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew [themselves] along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

37. The men in ambush rushed out and quickly deployed themselves. They attacked Gibeah and put the whole city to the sword.

38. Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

38. The men of Israel had planned with those in ambush that smoke would rise from the city as a signal. At this, the Israelites would then return and fight.

39. And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite [and] kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as [in] the first battle.

39. So the Israelites who pretended to escape returned when the Benjaminites had killed about thirty men and had thought: "Now they are defeated as in the first battle."

40. But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

40. The smoke signal was already rising from the city. When the Benjaminites looked behind, they saw that the whole city was on fire, with flames rising up to heaven.

41. And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.

41. When the Israelites faced them, the Benjaminites trembled before the calamity which had come upon them.

42. Therefore they turned [their backs] before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which [came] out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

42. They retreated before the men of Israel and fled in the direction leading to the desert. But the Israelites who came out of the city overtook them and destroyed them.

43. [Thus] they inclosed the Benjamites round about, [and] chased them, [and] trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

43. They surrounded the men of Benjamin, pursued them without rest and crushed them opposite Gibeah by the east.

44. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these [were] men of valour.

44. Eighteen thousand Benjaminites fell, all valiant men.

45. And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

45. The survivors retreated and fled towards the desert to the rock of Rimmon. About five thousand men, however, were killed on the way. They also pursued Benjamin as far as Gideon, killing two thousand men.

46. So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these [were] men of valour.

46. On that day, twenty-five thousand sword-wielding Benjaminites died, all valiant men. Of those who fled to the desert to the rock of Rimmon,

47. But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

47. six hundred were able to escape. They remained there for four months.

48. And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of [every] city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

48. The troops of Israel turned against the towns of Benjamin and put them to the sword, the people as well as the livestock and everything in them. They also burned all the cities they found.