Judges 20 · שופטים

Then all the children of Yisra᾽el went out, and the congregation assembled as one man, from Dan to Be᾽er-sheva, with the land of Gil῾ad, to the Lord in Miżpe.

And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Yisra᾽el, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

(Now the children of Binyamin heard that the children of Yisra᾽el were gone up to Miżpe.) Then said the children of Yisra᾽el, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Giv῾a that belongs to Binyamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.

And the men of Giv῾a rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, intending to have slain me: and my concubine they forced, and she died.

And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Yisra᾽el: for they have committed wantonness and vileness in Yisra᾽el.

Behold, you are all children of Yisra᾽el; give here your advice and counsel.

And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn aside to his house.

But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Giv῾a; we will go up by lot against it;

and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Yisra᾽el, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch provisions for the people, that they may do, when they come to Giv῾a of Binyamin, for all the vileness that they have done in Yisra᾽el.

So all the men of Yisra᾽el were gathered against the city, as one united company.

And the tribes of Yisra᾽el sent men through all the tribe of Binyamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?

Now therefore deliver us the worthless men, who are in Giv῾a that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Yisra᾽el. But the children of Binyamin would not hearken to the voice of their brothers the children of Yisra᾽el:

but the children of Binyamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Giv῾a, to go out to battle against the children of Yisra᾽el.

And the children of Binyamin numbered at that time out of the cities twenty six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Giv῾a, who numbered seven hundred chosen men.

Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a hair, and not miss.

And the men of Yisra᾽el, beside Binyamin, numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

And the children of Yisra᾽el arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Binyamin? And the Lord said, Yehuda shall go up first.

And the children of Yisra᾽el rose up in the morning, and encamped against Giv῾a.

And the men of Yisra᾽el went out to battle against Binyamin; and the men of Yisra᾽el put themselves in array to fight against them at Giv῾a.

And the children of Binyamin came out of Giv῾a, and laid low that day twenty two thousand men of Yisra᾽el.

And the people the men of Yisra᾽el rallied, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

(And the children of Yisra᾽el went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Binyamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.)

And the children of Yisra᾽el came near against the children of Binyamin the second day.

And Binyamin went out against them from Giv῾a on the second day, and laid low of the children of Yisra᾽el another eighteen thousand men; all these drawing the sword.

Then all the children of Yisra᾽el, and all the people, went up, and came to the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

And the children of Yisra᾽el inquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

And Pineĥas, the son of El῾azar, the son of Aharon, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Binyamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thy hand.

And Yisra᾽el set men in ambush round about Giv῾a.

And the children of Yisra᾽el went up against the children of Binyamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Giv῾a, as at other times.

And the children of Binyamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as on the other occasions, in the highways, of which one goes up to Bet-el, and the other to Giv῾a in the field, killing about thirty men of Yisra᾽el.

And the children of Binyamin said, They are beaten before us, as at the first. But the children of Yisra᾽el said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city onto the highways.

And all the men of Yisra᾽el rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Ba῾al-tamar: and the liers in wait of Yisra᾽el rushed out of their places, out of Ma῾are-geva.

And there came against Giv῾a ten thousand chosen men out of all Yisra᾽el, and the battle was hard: but they knew not that disaster was close upon them.

And the Lord smote Binyamin before Yisra᾽el: and the children of Yisra᾽el destroyed of Binyamin that day twenty five thousand one hundred men: all these drew the sword.

So the children of Binyamin saw that they were beaten: for the men of Yisra᾽el gave place to Binyamin, because they trusted to the liers in wait which they had set beside Giv῾a.

And the liers in wait hastened, and rushed upon Giv῾a; and the liers in wait moved out, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Yisra᾽el and the liers in wait, that they should make a great column of smoke rise up out of the city.

And when the men of Yisra᾽el retired in the battle, and Binyamin began to smite and kill the men of Yisra᾽el about thirty persons: (for they said, Surely they are beaten before us, as in the first battle)

then the beacon began to arise up out of the city, a pillar of smoke, and Binyamin looked behind them and behold, the whole city was going up to heaven in flames.

And when the men of Yisra᾽el turned again, the men of Binyamin were amazed: for they saw that disaster was come upon them.

Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Yisra᾽el in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.

Thus they enclosed Binyamin round about, and chased them, and trod them down with ease over against Giv῾a toward the sunrising.

And there fell of Binyamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them as far as Gid῾om, and slew two thousand men of them.

So that all who fell that day of Binyamin were twenty five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon for four months.

And the men of Yisra᾽el turned back upon the children of Binyamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the men of every city, and beasts, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.