LITV - Judges - 20

20:1  And all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, and the land of Gilead, to Jehovah at Mizpeh.

20:2  And the leaders of all the people of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of all the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen drawing sword.

20:3  And the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpeh. And the sons of Israel said, Speak up. How did this evil happen?

20:4  And the man, the Levite, husband of the woman who had been murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah which is to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.

20:5  And the men of Gibeah rose up against me. And they went around the house against me at night; they had in mind to kill me, and they raped my concubine, and she died.

20:6  And I took hold on my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her into all the land of the inheritance of Israel. For they have done evil and folly in Israel.

20:7  Behold, you are the sons of Israel. Give here your advice and counsel.

20:8  And all the people rose up as one man, saying, Not one of us shall go to his tent, and not one of us shall return to his house.

20:9  And now, this is the thing which we shall do to Gibeah, going against it by lot.

20:10  And we shall take ten men of a hundred of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to take food for the people, that they may act when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly which it has done in Israel.

20:11  And every man of Israel was gathered to the city, knit together as one man.

20:12  And the tribes of Israel sent men to all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, What is this evil which has happened among you?

20:13  And now, give up the men, the worthless sons which are in Gibeah, and we shall put them to death. And we shall consume evil from Israel. But Benjamin was not willing to listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

20:14  And the sons of Benjamin were gathered out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle with the sons of Israel.

20:15  And the sons of Benjamin counted themselves on that day. Out of the cities were twenty six thousand men drawing sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who counted themselves seven hundred chosen men.

20:16  Among all this people were seven hundred chosen men who were impeded in the right hand, each of these able to sling a stone at a hair. And he did not miss!

20:17  And the men of Israel numbered themselves, besides Benjamin, four hundred thousand men drawing sword, each of these a man of war.

20:18  And they rose up and went up to Bethel and asked of God. And the sons of Israel said, Who shall go up for us at the beginning of the battle with the sons of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah, at the beginning.

20:19  And the sons of Israel rose up in the morning and camped against Gibeah.

20:20  And the men of Israel went to battle with Benjamin; and the men of Israel set themselves in order against them, to battle against Gibeah.

20:21  And the sons of Benjamin came out from Gibeah. And on that day they destroyed twenty two thousand to the earth in Israel.

20:22  And the people, the men of Israel, made themselves strong, and again set the battle in order in the place where they set themselves on the first day.

20:23  And the sons of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until the evening, and asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I again draw near to battle with the sons of my brother Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.

20:24  And the sons of Israel drew near to the sons of Benjamin on the second day.

20:25  And Benjamin came out to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and again destroyed to the earth eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel; all these were swordsmen.

20:26  And all the sons of Israel went up, even all the people, and came to Bethel, and wept. And they sat there before Jehovah, and fasted on that day until the evening, and caused burnt offerings and peace offerings to ascend before Jehovah.

20:27  And the sons of Israel asked of Jehovah (and the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

20:28  and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron was standing before it in those days) saying, Shall I again go out to battle with the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease? And Jehovah said, Go up, for tomorrow I will give him into your hand.

20:29  And Israel set ambushers against Gibeah all around.

20:30  And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in order against Gibeah, as at other times.

20:31  And the sons of Benjamin came out to meet the people. They were drawn away out of the city, and began to strike the people down wounded as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to Bethel, and one to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

20:32  And the sons of Benjamin said, They are destroyed before us as at the beginning. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee and draw them away out of the city, into the highways.

20:33  And all the men of Israel rose from their place and set themselves in order at Baal-tamar. And Israel's ambush came out of its place, out of the meadow of Gibeah.

20:34  And they came in across from Gibeah, ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel. And the battle was heavy. And they did not know that evil was striking against them.

20:35  And Jehovah struck Benjamin before Israel. And the sons of Israel destroyed twenty five thousand, one hundred men on that day in Benjamin; all these were swordsmen.

20:36  And the sons of Benjamin saw that they were stricken. And the men of Israel had given place to Benjamin, for they trusted to the ambush which they had set against Gibeah.

20:37  And the ambush hurried and came against Gibeah, and the ambush drew itself out and struck all of the city by the mouth of the sword.

20:38  And there was a sign set to the men of Israel with the ambush, to make it great, their causing a rising of smoke to go up from the city.

20:39  And the men of Israel turned in battle, and Benjamin had begun to strike, causing some to be slain of the men of Israel, about thirty men. For they said, Surely they are stricken down before us, as at the first battle.

20:40  And the rising of smoke began to go up from the city, a pillar. And Benjamin turned around, and, behold, the whole city had gone up toward the heavens.

20:41  And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were troubled. For they had seen that evil had struck them.

20:42  And they turned before the men of Israel toward the way of the wilderness. And the battle followed them. And those who were from the city were destroying them in their midst.

20:43  They surrounded Benjamin, and they pursued them without rest. And they trod them down until they were opposite Gibeah, at the rising of the sun

20:44  And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all of these mighty men.

20:45  And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. And they gleaned five thousand men of them in the highways, and caught them, to Gidom. And they struck two thousand men of them.

20:46  And all the ones of Benjamin who fell were twenty five thousand men drawing the sword on that day; all of these mighty men.

20:47  And six hundred men turned and fled into the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon. And they lived in the rock of Rimmon four months.

20:48  And the men of Israel turned back to the sons of Benjamin, and struck them by the mouth of the sword, from the entire city to livestock, to all that was found. Also they set fire to all the cities which were found.