The Decree of the Assembly 1 DRA 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: BSB BSB: Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
2 DRA 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. BSB BSB: The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords.
3 DRA (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, BSB BSB: (Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”
4 DRA Answered: I came into Gabaa of Benjamin with my wife, and there I lodged: BSB BSB: So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
5 DRA 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. BSB BSB: And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died.
6 DRA 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. BSB BSB: Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.
7 DRA You are all here, O children of Israel, determine what you ought to do. BSB BSB: Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”
8 DRA 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: BSB BSB: Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house.
9 DRA But this we will do in common against Gabaa: BSB BSB: Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.
10 DRA 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. BSB BSB: We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”
11 DRA And all Israel were gathered together against the city, as one man, with one mind, and one counsel: BSB BSB: So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city.
12 DRA And they sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin to say to them: Why hath so great an abomination been found among you? BSB BSB: And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?
13 DRA 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: BSB BSB: Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.” But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites.
14 DRA 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. BSB BSB: And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.
15 DRA And there were found of Benjamin five and twenty thousand men that drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gabaa, BSB BSB: On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.
16 DRA 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. BSB BSB: Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.
17 DRA Of the men of Israel also, beside the children of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand that drew swords, and were prepared to fight. BSB BSB: The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.
Civil War against Benjamin 18 DRA 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. BSB BSB: The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.
19 DRA And forthwith the children of Israel rising in the morning, camped by Gabaa: BSB BSB: The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.
20 DRA And going out from thence to fight against Benjamin, began to assault the city. BSB BSB: And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.
21 DRA And the children of Benjamin coming out of Gabaa, slew of the children of Israel that day two and twenty thousand men. BSB BSB: And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
22 DRA Again Israel trusting in their strength and their number, set their army in array in the same place, where they had fought before: BSB BSB: But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day.
23 DRA 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. BSB BSB: They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”
24 DRA And when the children of Israel went out the next day to fight against the children of Benjamin, BSB BSB: On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites.
25 DRA 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. BSB BSB: That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.
26 DRA 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, BSB BSB: Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
27 DRA And inquired of him concerning their state. At that time the ark of the covenant of the Lord was there, BSB BSB: And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,
28 DRA 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. BSB BSB: and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
29 DRA And the children of Israel set ambushes round about the city of Gabaa: BSB BSB: So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.
30 DRA And they drew up their army against Benjamin the third time, as they had done the first and second. BSB BSB: On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before.
31 DRA 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: BSB BSB: The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.
32 DRA 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. BSB BSB: “We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”
33 DRA 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, BSB BSB: So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.
34 DRA 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. BSB BSB: Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them.
35 DRA 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. BSB BSB: The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.
36 DRA 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. BSB BSB: Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated. Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah.
37 DRA 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. BSB BSB: The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
38 DRA 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. BSB BSB: The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,
39 DRA 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) BSB BSB: the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.”
40 DRA 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: BSB BSB: But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.
41 DRA 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, BSB BSB: Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them.
42 DRA 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. BSB BSB: So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there.
43 DRA 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. BSB BSB: They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.
44 DRA And they that were slain in the same place were eighteen thousand men, all most valiant soldiers. BSB BSB: And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.
45 DRA 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. BSB BSB: Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.
46 DRA 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. BSB BSB: That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.
47 DRA 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. BSB BSB: But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.
48 DRA 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. BSB BSB: And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.