Judges 20
1 Then all the children of Israel went out and gathered together as one man from Dan to Bersabee, with the land of Galaad, to the Lord in Maspha:
And all the sons of Israel go out, and the company is assembled as one man, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, and the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah, at Mizpeh.
2 And all the chiefs of the people, and all the tribes of Israel met together in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen fit for war.
And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, station themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen drawing sword.
3 (Nor were the children of Benjamin ignorant that the children of Israel were come up to Maspha.) And the Levite the husband of the woman that was killed, being asked, how so great a wickedness had been committed,
And the sons of Benjamin hear that the sons of Israel have gone up to Mizpeh. And the sons of Israel say, 'Speak ye, how hath this evil been?'
4 Answered: I came into Gabaa of Benjamin with my wife, and there I lodged:
And the man, the Levite, husband of the woman who hath been murdered, answereth and saith, 'Into Gibeah (which [is] to Benjamin) I have come, I and my concubine, to lodge;
5 And behold the men of that city in the night beset the house wherein I was, intending to kill me, and abused my wife with an incredible fury of lust, so that at last she died.
and rise against me do the masters of Gibeah — and they go round the house against me by night — me they thought to slay, and my concubine they have humbled, and she dieth;
6 And I took her and cut her in pieces, and sent the, parts into all the borders of your possession: because there never was so heinous a crime, and so great an abomination committed in Israel.
and I lay hold on my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and send her into all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have done wickedness and folly in Israel;
7 You are all here, O children of Israel, determine what you ought to do.
lo, ye [are] all sons of Israel; give for you a word and counsel here.'
8 And all the people standing, answered as by the voice of one man: We will not return to our tents, neither shall any one of us go into his own house:
And all the people rise as one man, saying, 'None of us doth go to his tent, and none of us doth turn aside to his house;
9 But this we will do in common against Gabaa:
and now, this [is] the thing which we do to Gibeah — against it by lot!
10 We will take ten men of a hundred out of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to bring victuals for the army, that we might fight against Gabaa of Benjamin, and render to it for its wickedness, what it deserveth.
and we have taken ten men of a hundred, of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of a myriad, to receive provision for the people, to do, at their coming to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly which it hath done in Israel.'
11 And all Israel were gathered together against the city, as one man, with one mind, and one counsel:
And every man of Israel is gathered unto the city, as one man — companions.
12 And they sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin to say to them: Why hath so great an abomination been found among you?
And the tribes of Israel send men among all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, 'What [is] this evil which hath been among you?
13 Deliver up the men of Gabaa, that have committed this heinous crime, that they may die, and the evil may be taken away out of Israel. But they would not hearken to the proposition of their brethren the children of Israel:
And now, give up the men — sons of worthlessness — which [are] in Gibeah, and we put them to death, and we put away evil from Israel.' And [the sons of] Benjamin have not been willing to hearken to the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel;
14 But out of all the cities which were of their lot, they gathered themselves together into Gabaa, to aid them, and to fight against the whole people of Israel.
and the sons of Benjamin are gathered out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle with the sons of Israel.
15 And there were found of Benjamin five and twenty thousand men that drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gabaa,
And the sons of Benjamin number themselves on that day; out of the cities [are] twenty and six thousand men drawing sword, apart from the inhabitants of Gibeah, [who] numbered themselves, seven hundred chosen men;
16 Who were seven hundred most valiant men, fighting with the left hand as well as with the right: and slinging stones so sure that they could hit even a hair, and not miss by the stone’s going on either side.
among all this people [are] seven hundred chosen men, bound of their right hand, each of these slinging with a stone at the hair, and he doth not err.
17 Of the men of Israel also, beside the children of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand that drew swords, and were prepared to fight.
And the men of Israel numbered themselves, apart from Benjamin, four hundred thousand men, drawing sword, each of these a man of war.
18 And they arose and came to the house of God, that is, to Silo: and they consulted God, and said: Who shall be in our army the first to go to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord answered them: Let Juda be your leader.
And they rise and go up to Beth-El, and ask of God, and the sons of Israel say, 'Who doth go up for us at the commencement to battle with the sons of Benjamin?' and Jehovah saith, 'Judah — at the commencement.'
19 And forthwith the children of Israel rising in the morning, camped by Gabaa:
And the sons of Israel rise in the morning, and encamp against Gibeah,
20 And going out from thence to fight against Benjamin, began to assault the city.
and the men of Israel go out to battle with Benjamin, and the men of Israel set themselves in array with them, [for] battle against Gibeah,
21 And the children of Benjamin coming out of Gabaa, slew of the children of Israel that day two and twenty thousand men.
and the sons of Benjamin come out from Gibeah, and destroy in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men — to the earth.
22 Again Israel trusting in their strength and their number, set their army in array in the same place, where they had fought before:
And the people, the men of Israel, strengthen themselves, and add to set the battle in array in the place where they arranged themselves on the first day.
23 Yet so that they first went up and wept before the Lord until night: and consulted him, and said: Shall I go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin my brethren, or not? And he answered them: Go up against them, and join battle.
And the sons of Israel go up and weep before Jehovah till the evening, and ask of Jehovah, saying, 'Do I add to draw nigh to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother?' And Jehovah saith, 'Go up against him.'
24 And when the children of Israel went out the next day to fight against the children of Benjamin,
And the sons of Israel draw near unto the sons of Benjamin on the second day,
25 The children of Benjamin sallied forth out of the gates of Gabaa: and meeting them made so great a slaughter of them, as to kill eighteen thousand men that drew the sword.
and Benjamin cometh out to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and destroy among the sons of Israel again eighteen thousand men — to the earth; all these are drawing sword.
26 Wherefore all the children of Israel came to the house of God, and sat and wept before the Lord: and they fasted that day till the evening, and offered to him holocausts, and victims of peace offerings,
And all the sons of Israel go up, even all the people, and come in to Beth-El, and weep, and sit there before Jehovah, and fast on that day till the evening, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.
27 And inquired of him concerning their state. At that time the ark of the covenant of the Lord was there,
And the sons of Israel ask of Jehovah, — and there [is] the ark of the covenant of God in those days,
28 And Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron was over the house. So they consulted the Lord and said: Shall we go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin our brethren, or shall we cease? And the Lord said to them: Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hands.
and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, is standing before it in those days — saying, 'Do I add again to go out to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or do I cease?' And Jehovah saith, 'Go up, for to-morrow I give him into thy hand.'
29 And the children of Israel set ambushes round about the city of Gabaa:
And Israel setteth liers in wait against Gibeah, round about,
30 And they drew up their army against Benjamin the third time, as they had done the first and second.
and the sons of Israel go up against the sons of Benjamin, on the third day, and arrange themselves against Gibeah, as time by time.
31 And the children of Benjamin boldly issued out of the city, and seeing their enemies flee, pursued them a long way, so as to wound and kill some of them, as they had done the first and second day, whilst they fled by two highways, whereof one goeth up to Bethel, and the other to Gabaa, and they slew about thirty men:
And the sons of Benjamin come out to meet the people; they have been drawn away out of the city, and begin to smite [some] of the people — wounded as time by time, in the highways (of which one is going up to Beth-El, and the other to Gibeah in the field), [are] about thirty men of Israel.
32 For they thought to cut them off, as they did before. But they artfully feigning a flight, designed to draw them away from the city, and by their seeming to flee to bring them to the highways aforesaid.
And the sons of Benjamin say, 'They are smitten before us as at the beginning;' but the sons of Israel said, 'Let us flee, and draw them away out of the city, unto the highways.'
33 Then all the children of Israel rising up out of the places where they were, set their army in battle array, in the place which is called Baalthamar. The ambushes also which were about the city, began by little and little to come forth,
And all the men of Israel have risen from their place, and arrange themselves at Baal-Tamar, and the ambush of Israel is coming forth out of its place, out of the meadow of Gibeah.
34 And to march from the west side of the city. And other ten thousand men chosen out of all Israel attacked the inhabitants of the city. And the battle grew hot against the children of Benjamin: and they understood not that present death threatened them on every side.
And they come in over against Gibeah — ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel — and the battle [is] grievous, and they have not known that the evil is striking against them.
35 And the Lord defeated them before the children of Israel, and they slew of them in that day five and twenty thousand, and one hundred, all fighting men and that drew the sword.
And Jehovah smiteth Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroy in Benjamin, on that day, twenty and five thousand, and a hundred men; all these [are] drawing sword.
36 But the children of Benjamin when they saw themselves to be too weak, began to flee. Which the children of Israel seeing, gave them place to flee, that they might come to the ambushes that were prepared, which they had set near the city.
And the sons of Benjamin see that they have been smitten — and the men of Israel give place to Benjamin, for they have trusted unto the ambush which they had set against Gibeah,
37 And they that were in ambush arose on a sudden out of their coverts, and whilst Benjamin turned their backs to the slayers, went into the city, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
and the ambush have hasted, and push against Gibeah, and the ambush draweth itself out, and smiteth the whole of the city by the mouth of the sword.
38 Now the children of Israel had given a sign to them, whom they had laid in ambushes, that after they had taken the city, they should make a fire: that by the smoke rising on high, they might shew that the city was taken.
And there was the appointed sign to the men of Israel with the ambush — their causing to go up a great volume of smoke from the city.
39 And when the children of Israel saw this in the battle (for the children of Benjamin thought they fled and pursued them vigorously, killing thirty men of their army)
And the men of Israel turn in battle, and Benjamin hath begun to smite the wounded among the men of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, 'Surely they are utterly smitten before us, as [at] the first battle;
40 And perceived as it were a pillar of smoke rise up from the city; and Benjamin looking back, saw that the city was taken, and that the flames ascended on high:
and the volume hath begun to go up from the city — a pillar of smoke — and Benjamin turneth behind, and lo, gone up hath the perfection of the city toward the heavens.
41 They that before had made as if they fled, turning their faces stood bravely against them; which the children of Benjamin seeing, turned their backs,
And the men of Israel have turned, and the men of Benjamin are troubled, for they have seen that the evil hath stricken against them —
42 And began to go towards the way of the desert, the enemy pursuing them thither also. And they that fired the city came also out to meet them.
and they turn before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, and the battle hath followed them; and those who [are] from the city are destroying them in their midst;
43 And so it was, that they were slain on both sides by the enemies, and there was no rest of their men dying. They fell and were beaten down on the east side of the city Gabaa.
they have compassed the Benjamites — they have pursued them — with ease they have trodden them down till over-against Gibeah, at the sun-rising.
44 And they that were slain in the same place were eighteen thousand men, all most valiant soldiers.
And there fall of Benjamin eighteen thousand men — the whole of these [are] men of valour;
45 And when they that remained of Benjamin saw this, they fled into the wilderness and made towards the rock that is called Remmon. In that flight, also as they were straggling and going different ways, they slew of them five thousand men. And as they went farther, they still pursued them, and slew also other two thousand.
and they turn and flee toward the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon; and they glean of them in the highways five thousand men, and follow after them unto Gidom, and smite of them two thousand men.
46 And so it came to pass, that all that were slain of Benjamin in divers places, were five and twenty thousand fighting men, most valiant for war.
And all those falling of Benjamin are twenty and five thousand men drawing sword, on that day — the whole of these [are] men of valour;
47 And there remained of all the number of Benjamin only six hundred men that were able to escape, and flee to the wilderness: and they abode in the rock Remmon four months.
and there turn and flee into the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon six hundred men, and they dwell in the rock Rimmon four months.
48 But the children of Israel returning, put all the remains of the city to the sword, both men and beasts, and all the cities and villages of Benjamin were consumed with devouring flames.
And the men of Israel have turned back unto the sons of Benjamin, and smite them by the mouth of the sword out of the city, — men unto cattle, unto all that is found; also all the cities which are found they have sent into fire.
