Shophetim (Judges) 20
20
1And all the children of Yisra’ĕl came out, from Dan to Be’ĕrsheḇa, and from the land of Gil‛aḏ, and the congregation assembled as one man before יהוה at Mitspah.
2And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of Elohim, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword.
3And the children of Binyamin heard that the children of Yisra’ĕl had gone up to Mitspah. And the children of Yisra’ĕl said, “Speak up, how did this evil come about?”
4And the man, the Lĕwite, husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “My concubine and I went into Giḇ‛ah, which belongs to Binyamin, to spend the night.
5“And the masters of Giḇ‛ah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They thought to kill me, but instead they humbled my concubine, and she died.
6“Then I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the land of the inheritance of Yisra’ĕl, because they committed wickedness and folly in Yisra’ĕl.
7“Look, you are all children of Yisra’ĕl, speak and give your counsel here!”
8And all the people rose as one man, saying, “Let not one of us go to his tent, nor any of us turn back to his house.
9“And now, this is what we do to Giḇ‛ah: go against it by lot.
10“And we shall take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make food for the people, to prepare for their going to Giḇ‛ah in Binyamin, for all the folly they did in Yisra’ĕl.”
11And all the men of Yisra’ĕl were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
12And the tribes of Yisra’ĕl sent men through all the tribe of Binyamin, saying, “What is this evil that has come about among you?
13“And now, give us the men, the sons of Beliya‛al who are in Giḇ‛ah, so that we put them to death and put away evil from Yisra’ĕl!” But the children of Binyamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the children of Yisra’ĕl.
14So the children of Binyamin gathered together from their cities to Giḇ‛ah, to go to battle against the children of Yisra’ĕl.
15And from their cities at that time the children of Binyamin registered twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Giḇ‛ah, who registered seven hundred chosen men.
16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss.
17And besides Binyamin, the men of Yisra’ĕl registered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword, all of these were men of battle.
18And the children of Yisra’ĕl rose and went up to Bĕyth Ěl to ask of Elohim, and they said, “Who of us go up first to battle against the children of Binyamin?” And יהוה said, “Yehuḏah first.”
19And the children of Yisra’ĕl rose in the morning and encamped against Giḇ‛ah.
20And the men of Yisra’ĕl went out to battle against Binyamin, and the men of Yisra’ĕl put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Giḇ‛ah.
21And the children of Binyamin came out of Giḇ‛ah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of Yisra’ĕl.
22But the people, the men of Yisra’ĕl, strengthened themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.
23And the children of Yisra’ĕl went up and wept before יהוה until evening, and asked of יהוה, saying, “Should I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Binyamin?” And יהוה said, “Go up against him.”
24And the children of Yisra’ĕl drew near to the children of Binyamin on the second day.
25And Binyamin went out against them from Giḇ‛ah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Yisra’ĕl – all these drew the sword.
26And all the children of Yisra’ĕl, even all the people, went up and came to Bĕyth Ěl and wept, and sat there before יהוה and fasted that day until evening. And they offered ascending offerings and peace offerings before יהוה.
27And the children of Yisra’ĕl asked of יהוה – the ark of the covenant of Elohim was there in those days,
28and Pineḥas son of El‛azar, son of Aharon, stood before it in those days – saying, “Should I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Binyamin, or should I cease?” And יהוה said, “Go up, for tomorrow I give them into your hand.”
29And Yisra’ĕl set ambushers all around Giḇ‛ah.
30And the children of Yisra’ĕl went up against the children of Binyamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Giḇ‛ah as at the other times.
31And the children of Binyamin came out to meet the people – drawn away from the city. And they began to strike some of the people, slaying, as at the other times, in the highways, of which one went up to Bĕyth Ěl and the other to Giḇ‛ah in the field, about thirty men of Yisra’ĕl.
32And the children of Binyamin said, “They are going to be smitten before us, as previously.” But the children of Yisra’ĕl said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”
33And all the men of Yisra’ĕl rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Ba‛al Tamar. And the ambush of Yisra’ĕl broke forth from their position at Ma‛areh Ìeḇa.
34And ten thousand chosen men from all Yisra’ĕl came against Giḇ‛ah, and the battle was fierce. But they did not know that calamity was close to them.
35And יהוה smote Binyamin before Yisra’ĕl. And the children of Yisra’ĕl destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men on that day in Binyamin – all these drew the sword.
36And the children of Binyamin saw that they were smitten. And the men of Yisra’ĕl had given ground to the Binyamites, because they trusted in the ambush that they had set against Giḇ‛ah,
37and the ambush hurried and came against Giḇ‛ah, and the ambush spread out and struck the entire city with the edge of the sword.
38And the appointed signal between the men of Yisra’ĕl and the ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,
39then the men of Yisra’ĕl would turn in battle, and Binyamin began to strike dead about thirty of the men of Yisra’ĕl. For they said, “They are indeed smitten before us, as at the first battle.”
40Then the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, and the Binyamites looked behind them, and saw the entire city going up in smoke to the heavens.
41And when the men of Yisra’ĕl turned back, the men of Binyamin were troubled, for they saw that calamity was close to them.
42And they turned their backs before the men of Yisra’ĕl toward the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, while those who had come out of the cities were destroying them in their midst.
43They surrounded the Binyamites and pursued them, and with ease trampled them down as far as the front of Giḇ‛ah toward the east.
44And there fell of Binyamin eighteen thousand men – all of these were mighty men.
45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. And they cut down five thousand of them on the highways, and followed after them up to Giḏom, and struck two thousand of them.
46And all who fell of Binyamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword, all of these were mighty men.
47But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they dwelt at the rock of Rimmon for four new moons.
48And the men of Yisra’ĕl turned back against the children of Binyamin, and struck them with the edge of the sword from every city, men and beasts, all who were found. And they set fire to all the cities they came to.
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Shophetim (Judges) 20: TS2009
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Judges 20
20
1Then 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.
2And 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.
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,
4Answered: I came into Gabaa of Benjamin with my wife, and there I lodged:
5And, 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.
6And 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.
7You are all here, O children of Israel: determine what you ought to do.
8And 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:
9But this we will do in common against Gabaa.
10We 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.
11And all Israel were gathered together against the city, as one man, with one mind, and one counsel.
12And they sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin to say to them: Why hath so great an abomination been found among you?
13Deliver 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.
14But 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.
15And there were found of Benjamin five and twenty thousand men that drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gabaa,
16Who 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.
17Of the men of Israel also, beside the children of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand that drew swords, and were prepared to fight.
18And 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.
19And forthwith the children of Israel, rising in the morning, camped by Gabaa:
20And going out from thence to fight against Benjamin began to assault the city.
21And the children of Benjamin coming out of Gabaa, slew of the children of Israel that day two and twenty thousand men.
22Again Israel, trusting in their strength and their number, set their army in array in the same place, where they had fought before.
23Yet 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.
24And when the children of Israel went out the next day to fight against the children of Benjamin,
25The 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.
26Wherefore 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:
27And inquired of him concerning their state. At that time the ark of the covenant of the Lord was there.
28And 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 to-morrow I will deliver them into your hands.
29And the children of Israel set ambushes round about the city of Gabaa.
30And they drew up their army against Benjamin the third time, as they had done the first and second.
31And 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:
32For 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.
33Then 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,
34And 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.
35And 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.
36But 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.
37And 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.
38Now 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.
39And 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):
40And 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:
41They that before had made as if they fled, turning their faces, stood bravely against them. Which the children of Benjamin seeing, turned their backs,
42And 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.
43And 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.
44And they that were slain in the same place were eighteen thousand men, all most valiant soldiers.
45And 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.
46And 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.
47And 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.
48But 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.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.