Judges 20
Names of God Bible
Israel Slaughters the Tribe of Benjamin
20 All the people of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from Gilead came to Mizpah. The congregation stood united in the presence of Yahweh. 2 The leaders of all Israel’s tribes took their places in the congregation of Elohim’s people. There were 400,000 foot soldiers with swords. 3 The people of Benjamin heard that Israel had come to Mizpah.
The people of Israel said, “Tell us how such an evil thing could happen.”
4 The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, “My concubine[a] and I went to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. 5 The citizens of Gibeah came to attack me. They surrounded the house where I was staying that night. They intended to kill me, but instead, they raped my concubine until she died. 6 So I took my concubine and cut her into pieces. Then I sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel. I did this because the citizens of Gibeah did this perverted and godless thing in Israel. 7 All you people of Israel, tell me what you think. Give me your advice right now!”
8 All the people stood united, saying, “None of us will go to his tent or return to his house. 9 This is what we’ll do to Gibeah. We’ll decide by lot who should attack it.[b] 10 We’ll take one-tenth[c] of all the men from the tribes of Israel to get supplies for the troops. When the troops go to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin they can punish the citizens of Gibeah for the godless thing they did in Israel.” 11 So all the men of Israel assembled. They stood united against the city.
12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin. They asked, “How could such an evil thing happen among you? 13 Now hand over those worthless men in Gibeah. We must put them to death to rid ourselves of this kind of evil in Israel.”
But the men of Benjamin refused to listen to the men of Israel. 14 So the men of Benjamin went from their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go to war with the men of Israel. 15 That day 26,000 men armed with swords came from Benjamin’s cities and organized for battle along with 700 of Gibeah’s best men. 16 Out of all these troops, the best 700 were left-handed. Each could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17 The men of Israel (Benjamin not included) totaled 400,000 soldiers armed with swords.
18 The men of Israel went to Bethel. They asked Elohim, “Who will go first to fight Benjamin?”
Yahweh answered, “Judah will go first.”
19 The Israelites got up early in the morning and camped at Gibeah. 20 So the men of Israel went to war with the men of Benjamin. The Israelites formed their battle line facing Gibeah. 21 That day the men of Benjamin came out from Gibeah. They slaughtered 22,000 of Israel’s men.
22 But Israel’s troops got reinforcements. They formed their battle line where they had formed it on the first day. 23 The Israelites went and cried in the presence of Yahweh until evening. They asked Yahweh, “Should we continue to wage war against our close relatives, the men of Benjamin?”
Yahweh answered, “Go fight them!”
24 On the second day the Israelite troops advanced against Benjamin. 25 Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them. This time they slaughtered 18,000 men from Israel who were armed with swords. 26 Then all the men of Israel and all the troops went to Bethel. They sat there and cried in the presence of Yahweh and fasted that day until evening. Then they sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to Yahweh.
27 In those days the ark of Elohim’s promise was at Bethel. 28 (Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, served in front of it.) So the people of Israel asked Yahweh, “Should we continue to wage war against our close relatives, the men of Benjamin? Or should we stop?”
Yahweh answered, “Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”
29 Then Israel placed troops in ambush around Gibeah. 30 On the third day the men of Israel went to fight the men of Benjamin. They formed their battle line facing Gibeah as they did before. 31 The men of Benjamin went out to attack Israel’s troops and were led away from the city. They started to inflict casualties as before. They killed about 30 men from Israel in the open country and on the roads to Bethel and Gibeah. 32 The men of Benjamin shouted, “They’re defeated as before!”
But the men of Israel had said, “Let’s flee in order to lead them from the city to the roads.” 33 So the men of Israel left their positions. They formed their battle line at Baal Tamar. Meanwhile, those waiting in ambush rushed from their position to the west of Gibeah. 34 Then 10,000 of Israel’s best men attacked Gibeah. The battle was fierce. But Benjamin’s men didn’t realize their own evil was about to overtake them. 35 So Yahweh defeated them in front of Israel. On that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 men from Benjamin who were armed with swords. 36 Then the men of Benjamin realized they were defeated.
The Israelites had allowed the men of Benjamin to take back some ground. The Israelites relied on those waiting in ambush near Gibeah. 37 The men in ambush quickly charged toward Gibeah. They spread out in the city and killed everyone. 38 The men of Israel had arranged with those waiting in ambush that they would make a big column of smoke rise from the city as a signal. 39 Then the men of Israel would turn around in the battle.
The men of Benjamin had already killed about 30 men of Israel. They even said, “Israel is completely defeated, just like in the first battle.”
40 But when the column of smoke started to rise from the city, the men of Benjamin turned around and saw the whole city going up in smoke. 41 Then the men of Israel turned around, and the men of Benjamin panicked. They realized that their evil had overtaken them. 42 They turned in front of Israel toward the road to the desert. But the battle caught up with the men of Benjamin. Israel slaughtered whoever came out of the cities on the road to the desert. 43 They closed in on the men of Benjamin and pursued them without stopping. They overtook them east of Gibeah. 44 There were 18,000 experienced men from Benjamin who died in battle. 45 The others turned and fled into the desert to Rimmon Rock. But the men of Israel killed 5,000 more on the roads. They caught up with another 2,000 and killed them near Gidom. 46 In all, 25,000 men from Benjamin who were armed with swords were killed that day. They were all experienced men.
47 But 600 men turned and fled into the desert to Rimmon Rock. They stayed at Rimmon Rock for four months.
48 Then the men of Israel went back to attack the rest of the territory of Benjamin. They killed all the people and cattle they found in every city. They also burned down every city they came to.
Footnotes
- Judges 20:4 A concubine is considered a wife except she has fewer rights under the law.
- Judges 20:9 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
- Judges 20:10 Or “10 out of every battalion, 100 out of every regiment, and 1,000 out of every company.”
Judges 20
King James Version
20 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.
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.
9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;
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.
11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done 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.
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.
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.
16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were 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.
19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against 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.
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.
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.
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.)
24 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
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.
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.
27 And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
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.
29 And Israel set liers in wait round about 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was 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.
43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
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.
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.
47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon 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.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.