The Decree of the Assembly 1 ULT Then all of the sons of Israel came forth, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan and unto Beersheba and the land of Gilead, to Yahweh at Mizpah. 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 ULT And the cornerstones of all of the people, all of the tribes of Israel, stationed themselves within the assembly of the people of God, 400, 000, a man, a footsoldier drawing the sword. 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 ULT Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up{ to} Mizpah. And the sons of Israel said,“Say how this evil has been done.” 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 ULT So the man, the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said,“To Gibeah that{ is} to Benjamin I came, I and my concubine, to lodge. 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 ULT And the lords of Gibeah arose against me, and they encircled the house at night against me. Me, they intended to kill, but my concubine, they humbled, and 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 ULT And I took back my concubine, and I cut her up, and I sent her into every field of the inheritance of Israel, because they have done lewdness and outrage 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 ULT Behold, all of you sons of Israel, give to yourselves a word and advice here.” BSB BSB: Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”
8 ULT And all of the people arose as one man, saying,“We will not go back, a man to his tent, and we will not return, a man to his 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 ULT And now this{ is} the thing that we should do to Gibeah, against it by lot. BSB BSB: Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.
10 ULT Now we will take ten men of a hundred from all of the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from a myriad, to get provision for the people, to do at their coming to Gibeah in Benjamin according to all of the outrage that it did in Israel.” 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 ULT So every man of Israel was gathered against the city as one man, associates. BSB BSB: So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city.
12 ULT And the tribes of Israel sent men into all of the tribes of Benjamin, saying,“What is this evil that has been done 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 ULT And now, give over the men, the sons of wickedness, who{ are} in Gibeah, that we may kill them so that we may burn up evil from Israel.” But they were not willing, Benjamin, to listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons 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 ULT Then the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves from the cities to Gibeah, to come out to battle with the sons of Israel. BSB BSB: And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.
15 ULT And the sons of Benjamin mobilized themselves on that day from the cities, 26, 000 men drawing the sword, besides 700 chosen men from the dwellers of Gibeah{ who} mobilized themselves. BSB BSB: On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.
16 ULT Among all of this people{ were} 700, a chosen man, impeded in his right hand, each of them slinging with a stone at a hair and he would not miss. 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 ULT And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, mobilized themselves, 400, 000 men drawing the sword, each of them a man of war. BSB BSB: The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.
Civil War against Benjamin 18 ULT And they arose and went up to Bethel. And the sons of Israel inquired of God, and they said,“Who should go up for us at the start to the battle with the sons of Benjamin?” And Yahweh said,“Judah at the start.” 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 ULT So the sons of Israel arose in the morning, and they camped near Gibeah. BSB BSB: The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.
20 ULT And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin. And the men of Israel arrayed themselves for battle against Gibeah. BSB BSB: And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.
21 ULT And the sons of Benjamin came out from Gibeah, and they destroyed down to the ground 22, 000 men from Israel on that day. BSB BSB: And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
22 ULT But the people, the men of Israel, strengthened themselves, and they resumed to array for battle at the place where they had arrayed there on the first day. 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 ULT For the sons of Israel had gone up and wept to the face of Yahweh until the evening. And they had inquired of Yahweh, saying,“Shall I resume to approach to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother?” And Yahweh had said,“Go up against him.” 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 ULT So the sons of Israel drew near to the sons of Benjamin on the second day. BSB BSB: On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites.
25 ULT And Benjamin came forth to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and they destroyed to the ground yet 18, 000 men from the sons of Israel, all of these drawers of a 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 ULT Then all of the sons of Israel went up, and all of the people, and they came{ to} Bethel. And they wept, and they sat there to the face of Yahweh, and they fasted on that day until the evening, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the face of Yahweh. 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 ULT Then the sons of Israel inquired of Yahweh, for the Box of the Covenant of God{ was} there in those days BSB BSB: And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,
28 ULT (and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron,{ was} standing to the face of it in those days), saying,“Shall I resume again to go out to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I stop?” And Yahweh said,“Go up, for tomorrow I will give him into your hand.” 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 ULT So Israel set ambushers against Gibeah all around. BSB BSB: So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.
30 ULT And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and they arrayed against Gibeah as time upon time. BSB BSB: On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before.
31 ULT And the sons of Benjamin came out to meet the people. They were drawn from the city, and they began to strike down{ some} of the people, slain as time upon time on the roads,{ of} which one went up{ to} Bethel and one{ to} Gibeah by the field, about 30 men of Israel. 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 ULT And the sons of Benjamin said,“They{ are} being beaten to our faces as at the first.” But the sons of Israel had said,“Let us flee and let us draw him from the city to the roads.” 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 ULT Then every man of Israel arose from his place, and they arrayed at Baal Tamar. And the ambush of Israel gushed from his place, from Maareh Gibeah. 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 ULT And 10, 000 men, chosen from all of Israel, came from opposite Gibeah, and the battle{ was} heavy. But they did not know that harm{ was} touching upon them. 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 ULT So Yahweh defeated Benjamin to the face of Israel. And the sons of Israel destroyed Benjamin on that day, 25, 100 men, all of them drawing 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 ULT And the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. For the men of Israel had given place to Benjamin because they were confident in the ambush that they had set against Gibeah. 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 ULT And the ambush hurried and spread out against Gibeah, and the ambush marched out and struck all of the city to the mouth of the sword. BSB BSB: The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
38 ULT Now a sign was to the men of Israel with the ambush,“Make great” for them sending up a signal of smoke from the city 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 ULT when the men of Israel retreated from the battle. And Benjamin began to strike, the slain among the men of Israel{ were} about 30 men. For they said,“Surely being beaten, he{ is} being beaten to our faces, as{ in} the first battle.” 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 ULT But the signal began to go up from the city, a column of smoke, and Benjamin turned after it, and behold, the whole of the city had gone up to the heavens. 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 ULT And a man of Israel turned, and a man of Benjamin was alarmed, for he saw that harm had touched upon him. 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 ULT So they turned to the face of the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook him, and{ those} who{ were} from the cities{ were} destroying him in the midst of him. 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 ULT They surrounded Benjamin, they caused to pursue,{ with} ease they trampled him unto before Gibeah, from the rising of the sun. BSB BSB: They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east.
44 ULT And they fell from Benjamin, 18, 000 men, all of them men of valor. BSB BSB: And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.
45 ULT And they turned and fled to the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon. And they gleaned along the pathways 5, 000 men. And they pursued closely after him unto Gidom, and they struck from him 2, 000 men. 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 ULT So on that day all of the fallen ones from Benjamin were 25, 000 men drawing the sword, all of them men of valor. BSB BSB: That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor.
47 ULT But 600 men turned and fled to the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon four months. BSB BSB: But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.
48 ULT Then the men of Israel returned to the sons of Benjamin, and they struck them to the mouth of the sword, from a city of entirety to cattle to everything found. Also, all of the cities found, they sent into fire. 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.