Judges 20
20
Israel’s Civil War
1The Israelites were united as one man from Dan in the north to Beersheba # 20:1 “From Dan . . . to Beersheba” is a merism, meaning every Israelite, for Dan was the northernmost city in Israel and Beersheba was in the far south. in the south, including those living in Gilead on the other side of the Jordan. Everyone assembled together before Yahweh at Mizpah. 2All the leaders # 20:2 The Hebrew reads “All the corners.” This is a figure of speech for the tribal leaders. of all the people from the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people, four hundred thousand fighting men armed with swords. 3The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah. The Israelites said to them, “Tell us, how did this evil rape and murder happen?”
4The Levite, whose mistress had been murdered, replied, “My mistress and I stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night. 5That night, the depraved men of Gibeah came after me to harm me, gathering around the house in the night where I was staying. They intended to kill me, but instead, they raped my mistress, and she died. 6This deliberate, outrageous act of depravity was committed in Israel! Therefore, I took her body and cut it in pieces and sent the pieces throughout every part of Israel. 7Now you Israelites must decide on a response! Let’s do something about it here and now!”
Attempt at Extradition
8Then all the people stood in unison and declared, “None of us will go back to our cities or return to our homes. 9This is what we’re going to do to Gibeah: We’ll cast lots to choose who will fight against it. 10And we’ll take a tenth # 20:10 Or “ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand.” of the men of our tribes of Israel to carry supplies for our forces. When our army arrives at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, we’ll give them what they deserve for the outrageous, disgraceful act they committed in Israel.” 11So all the men of Israel united as one man to come against Gibeah. # 20:11 It is striking that the tribes refused to come together to help one another throughout most of the book of Judges until this clear moment of uniting to destroy one of their own tribes.
12The Israelite tribes sent couriers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this brutal crime that you have done? 13We demand that you surrender the depraved perverts from Gibeah who took part in this evil act. We’ll put them to death and purge the evil out of Israel.”
But the Benjamites refused to yield to the demands of their brothers the Israelites. 14Instead, the Benjamites gathered warriors from all their towns to come to Gibeah and fight their brothers, the Israelites. 15On that day, the Benjamites gathered a force from their towns of twenty-six thousand armed men, not including the seven hundred elite soldiers of Gibeah. 16Among Benjamin’s elite troops, seven hundred were left-handed, and each of them could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairbreadth without missing. 17The tribes of Israel had four hundred thousand experienced soldiers armed with swords, not counting Benjamin’s warriors.
The Israelites Inquire of God at Bethel
18Before the battle, the armies of Israel went to the house of God # 20:18 Or “to Bethel.” to seek counsel from God. The Israelites inquired, “Which tribe gets to go first to battle the Benjamites?”
Yahweh answered, “Judah will go first.”
19The Israelites got up the next morning and encamped near Gibeah. 20The men of Israel took up battle positions against the Benjamites at Gibeah, 21but the Benjamites rushed out of the city, and slaughtered twenty-two thousand Israelites.
22The men of Israel encouraged one another and resumed their battle positions where they had lined up the first day. 23The Israelites wept before Yahweh until evening, and they inquired of Yahweh, “Should we go out again to battle with our brothers the Benjamites?” And Yahweh answered, “Yes, go back into the battle!”
24The next day, the Israelites advanced toward the Benjamites. 25When Benjamin marched out from Gibeah to engage them, they struck down another eighteen thousand Israelite swordsmen.
26After losing again, the entire Israelite army went up to the house of God, # 20:26 The Latin Vulgate reads “the house of God at Shiloh.” The Hebrew is Bethel, which means “the house of God.” and they sat there fasting and weeping before Yahweh all day until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. 27The Israelites inquired of Yahweh at Shiloh, for the ark of God’s covenant # 20:27 This is the only mention of the ark in the book of Judges. was there in those days. 28Phineas son of Eleazer, son of Aaron, ministered there before the ark. # 20:28 Or “it.” He inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Should we resume our battle with our brothers, the Benjamites? Or should we quit?”
Yahweh answered, “Attack! For tomorrow I will give you the victory!”
Victory
29So Israel set ambushes all around Gibeah. 30On the third day, one company of Israelites advanced against the Benjamites, deploying against Gibeah as they had before. 31This tactic drew the Benjamites out of the city to attack the advancing Israelite army, leaving the city unguarded. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before. There they killed about thirty men of Israel.
32The Benjamites boasted, “We are defeating them just as we did before!”
But when the Benjamites had taken the bait, the Israelites said, “Retreat, and draw them away from the city to the main roads.” 33Every Israelite rose from his position and took their assumed positions at Baal-Tamar. Then the Israelites who were hiding in ambush jumped up from their positions west of Gibeah. # 20:33 As translated from the Septuagint. The Hebrew is Maareh-Geba. 34Ten thousand elite soldiers from all over Israel made their direct assault on Gibeah.
The fighting was fierce. And the Benjamites had no clue that disaster was at their doorstep. 35On that day, Yahweh struck down the Benjamites before Israel. The Israelites slaughtered 25,100 swordsmen of Benjamin. 36Then the Benjamites realized that they were defeated. The Israelites had moved back because they were depending on the surprise attack they had set up near Gibeah.
37The men of Israel who had been waiting in ambush made a mad dash for Gibeah, attacked the city, and killed its inhabitants. 38The Israelites’ strategy was to send up a smoke signal from the city once they had sacked it, 39and when the men of Israel saw the smoke signal, they would turn and rejoin the battle.
When the Benjamites had inflicted about thirty casualties on the men of Israel, they said, “Look, we are defeating them as we did in the first battle!”
40But when the smoke signal began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke!
41When the men of Israel turned back, the men of Benjamin saw that disaster had come upon them, and they panicked. 42So they fled toward the wilderness, retreating from the Israelites, but the Israelites overtook them and killed them there. 43Surrounding the Benjamites, the Israelites chased them and easily overran them in the area east of Gibeah.
Survivors
44Eighteen thousand Benjamites died, all of them valiant fighters. 45As they turned and fled in the wilderness to Rimmon Rock, the Israelites picked off another five thousand Benjamites on the main roads. They chased them as far as Gidom, killing two thousand more there. 46That day, a total of twenty-five thousand sword-bearing Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters. 47But six hundred men who had fled to the wilderness camped at Rimmon Rock and remained there for four months. 48The men of Israel went back to the Benjamites and slaughtered every living thing in every town—men and beasts and all that were found, and they burned down every town they came across.
Currently Selected:
Judges 20: TPT
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation