Judges Chapter 20
Israel Fights the Benjamites
1 The people came out from Dan to Beersheba, including Gilead, and gathered in unity to Yahveh at Mizpah. 2 The chiefs from all the tribes presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people, 400,000 infantry that drew sword. 3 (Now the Benjamites heard that the people had gone up to Mizpah.) They said, “How did this wickedness happen?” 4 The Levite, husband of the murdered woman, said,
“My concubine and I came to Gibeah, in Benjamin, to spend the night. 5 The men there rose against me and set on the house around me after dark. They meant to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she’s dead. 6 I cut her up in pieces and sent them all over Israel because they’ve committed a detestable, disgraceful act. 7 People of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here.”
8 The people arose in agreement,
“None of us will go to his tent or house. 9 We’ll go up against Gibeah by lot. 10 We’ll take 10 men from 100 from all the tribes, 100 from 1,000, 1,000 from 10,000, to bring provisions for the people, so when they come, they can pay back Gibeah for that awful crime.”
11 The men of Israel gathered in unity against the town. Jud 20:1-11
12 The tribes of Israel sent men through the whole tribe of Benjamin, and said, “What’s this wickedness that’s taken place among you? 13 Give up the base men of Gibeah, so we can put them to death, and purge sin from Israel.” But the Benjamites wouldn’t listen. 14 They came together out of the towns to Gibeah to fight. 15 That day they mustered 26,000 swordsmen, besides 700 elite men in Gibeah. 16 Among them were 700 elite men that were left-handed. Every one could sling a stone at a hair, and not miss. 17 Israel, not including those from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 swordsmen.
18 The people of Israel went up to Bethel and asked God, “Which of us should go up first to fight Benjamin?” Yahveh said, “Judah.” 19 The people got up in the morning and camped against Gibeah. 20 They went out to fight Benjamin and drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. 21 The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and felled 22,000 Israelites that day. 22 But the people took courage and formed the battle line again in the same place. 23 They went up and cried to Yahveh till evening, and asked him, “Should we go again against our relatives the Benjamites?”
“Yes.” Jud 20:12-23
24 So they attacked the Benjamites the second day. 25 Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day and felled 18,000 swordsmen. 26 Then the entire army of Israel went up to Bethel and cried. They sat in front of Yahveh and fasted that day till evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to Yahveh. 27 (The Ark was there at that time, 28and Phinehas Ben-Eleazar Ben-Aaron performed service in front of it.) They asked him, “Should we go up again against our fellow Jews?”
“Yes, I’ll deliver them to you tomorrow.”
29 Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. 30 On the third day, they went up against the Benjamites and set themselves in formation against Gibeah like before. 31 The Benjamites came out against them and drew away from the town. As at other times, they began to strike down and kill some people in the highways—one that goes up to Bethel, the other to Gibeah—and in the countryside, about 30 men of Israel. 32 The Benjamites said, “They’re routed like the first time.” But the men of Israel said, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the town onto the highways.” 33 They rose up out of their place and set themselves in formation at Baal-tamar, and the men lying in ambush rushed out of their place west of Geba. 34 10,000 elite men out of all Israel attacked Gibeah. The battle was hard, but the Benjamites didn’t know that disaster was coming. 35 Yahveh defeated Benjamin in front of Israel. Israel destroyed 25,100 Benjamite swordsmen that day. 36 Then the Benjamites realized they were defeated. Jud 20:24-36a
The men of Israel gave ground, because they relied on the ones in ambush to attack the town. 37 The men in ambush hurried out and struck the whole town with the sword. 38 The signal by the men in ambush was that when they made a big cloud of smoke rise out of the town, 39 the men of Israel should turn around in battle. Benjamin said, “We’ve struck them down like in the first battle.” 40 But when the signal began to rise, the Benjamites looked back. The whole town was going up in smoke. 41 Then Israel turned around and Benjamin panicked when they saw that disaster was on them. 42 So they turned their backs on Israel toward open country, but the battle overtook them. Those who came out of the towns 43 cut them down and pursued them down from Nohah all the way across from Gibeah to the east. 44 18,000 Benjamites fell. 45 They turned and fled toward open country to the Rock of Rimmon. On the roads they cut down 5,000 more and pursued them hard to Gidom and killed another 2,000. 46 25,000 Benjamites fell that day, trained soldiers. 47 But 600 fled toward open country to the Rock of Rimmon and stayed there four months. 48 The men of Israel turned back and struck them with the sword, people and animals and everybody they found. They set on fire the towns they found. Jud 20:36b-48