| NET Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba and from the land of Gilead left their homes and assembled together before the LORD at Mizpah. | 1Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah. |
| 2The leaders of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God's people, which numbered four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers. | 2The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot soldiers who drew the sword. |
| 3The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said, "Explain how this wicked thing happened!" | 3(Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, "Tell us, how did this wickedness take place?" |
| 4The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up, "I and my concubine stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night. | 4So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. |
| 5The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died. | 5"But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me; instead, they ravished my concubine so that she died. |
| 6I grabbed hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces throughout the territory occupied by Israel, because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity in Israel. | 6"And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel's inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. |
| 7All you Israelites, make a decision here!" | 7"Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your advice and counsel here." |
| 8All Israel rose up in unison and said, "Not one of us will go home! Not one of us will return to his house! | 8Then all the people arose as one man, saying, "Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house. |
| 9Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates. | 9"But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot. |
| 10We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel." | 10"And we will take 10 men out of 100 throughout the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000 to supply food for the people, that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may punish them for all the disgraceful acts that they have committed in Israel." |
| 11So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies. | 11Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man. |
| 12The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "How could such a wicked thing take place? | 12Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has taken place among you? |
| 13Now, hand over the good-for-nothings in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness." But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers. | 13"Now then, deliver up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel." But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. |
| 14The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah to make war against the Israelites. | 14The sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. |
| 15That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah. | 15From the cities on that day the sons of Benjamin were numbered, 26,000 men who draw the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were numbered, 700 choice men. |
| 16Among this army were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers. Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target. | 16Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. |
| 17The men of Israel (not counting Benjamin) had mustered four hundred thousand sword-wielding soldiers, every one an experienced warrior. | 17Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were numbered, 400,000 men who draw the sword; all these were men of war. |
| 18The Israelites went up to Bethel and asked God, "Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?" The LORD said, "Judah should lead." | 18Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, "Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?" Then the LORD said, "Judah shall go up first." |
| 19The Israelites got up the next morning and moved against Gibeah. | 19So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah. |
| 20The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they arranged their battle lines against Gibeah. | 20The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed for battle against them at Gibeah. |
| 21The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand Israelites that day. | 21Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and felled to the ground on that day 22,000 men of Israel. |
| 22The Israelite army took heart and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before. | 22But the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day. |
| 23The Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening. They asked the LORD, "Should we again march out to fight the Benjaminites, our brothers?" The LORD said, "Attack them!" | 23The sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him." |
| 24So the Israelites marched toward the Benjaminites the next day. | 24Then the sons of Israel came against the sons of Benjamin the second day. |
| 25The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down eighteen thousand sword-wielding Israelite soldiers. | 25Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and felled to the ground again 18,000 men of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword. |
| 26So all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel. They wept and sat there before the LORD; they did not eat anything that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace to the LORD. | 26Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. |
| 27The Israelites asked the LORD (for the ark of God's covenant was there in those days; | 27The sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, |
| 28Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving the LORD in those days), "Should we once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers, or should we quit?" The LORD said, "Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them over to you." | 28and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron's son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?" And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand." |
| 29So Israel hid men in ambush outside Gibeah. | 29So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. |
| 30The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before. | 30The sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as at other times. |
| 31The Benjaminites attacked the army, leaving the city unguarded. They began to strike down their enemy just as they had done before. On the main roads (one leads to Bethel, the other to Gibeah) and in the field, they struck down about thirty Israelites. | 31The sons of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. |
| 32Then the Benjaminites said, "They are defeated just as before." But the Israelites said, "Let's retreat and lure them away from the city into the main roads." | 32The sons of Benjamin said, "They are struck down before us, as at the first." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways." |
| 33All the men of Israel got up from their places and took their positions at Baal Tamar, while the Israelites hiding in ambush jumped out of their places west of Gibeah. | 33Then all the men of Israel arose from their place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel in ambush broke out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. |
| 34Ten thousand men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, then made a frontal assault against Gibeah--the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep. | 34When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them. |
| 35The LORD annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites. | 35And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, all who draw the sword. |
| 36Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated. The Israelites retreated before Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah. | 36So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. When the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, |
| 37The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash to Gibeah. They attacked and put the sword to the entire city. | 37the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. |
| 38The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush sent up a smoke signal from the city, | 38Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city. |
| 39the Israelites counterattacked. Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; they struck down about thirty men. They said, "There's no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle." | 39Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle." |
| 40But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky. | 40But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven. |
| 41When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep. | 41Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that disaster was close to them. |
| 42They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down. | 42Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel toward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them. |
| 43They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, and annihilated them all the way to a spot east of Geba. | 43They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the east. |
| 44Eighteen thousand Benjaminites, all of them capable warriors, fell dead. | 44Thus 18,000 men of Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors. |
| 45The rest turned and ran toward the wilderness, heading toward the cliff of Rimmon. But the Israelites caught five thousand of them on the main roads. They stayed right on their heels all the way to Gidom and struck down two thousand more. | 45The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, but they caught 5,000 of them on the highways and overtook them at Gidom and killed 2,000 of them. |
| 46That day twenty-five thousand sword-wielding Benjaminites fell in battle, all of them capable warriors. | 46So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors. |
| 47Six hundred survivors turned and ran away to the wilderness, to the cliff of Rimmon. They stayed there four months. | 47But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. |
| 48The Israelites returned to the Benjaminite towns and put the sword to them. They wiped out the cities, the animals, and everything they could find. They set fire to every city in their path. | 48The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found. |
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