Judges 20

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The Israelites then al turned out and, as one man, the entire community from Dan to Beersheba,including Gilead, assembled in Yahweh's presence at Mizpah.	1 So all the Israelites came out as one man: from Dan to Beer-sheba, and from the land of Gilead, the community was gathered to the LORD at Mizpah.
2 The leaders of the entire people, of al the tribes of Israel, were present at this assembly of God'speople, four hundred thousand trained infantry.	2 The leaders of all the people and all the tribesmen of Israel, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who were swordsmen, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God.
3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites then said, 'Tel ushow this crime was committed.'	3 Meanwhile, the Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites asked to be told how the crime had taken place,
4 The Levite, husband of the murdered woman, spoke in reply and said,	4 and the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, testified: "My concubine and I went into Gibeah of Benjamin for the night.
5 'The men of Gibeah ganged up against me and, during the night, surrounded the house where I waslodging. They intended to murder me. They raped my concubine to death.	5 But the citizens of Gibeah rose up against me by night and surrounded the house in which I was. Me they attempted to kill, and my concubine they abused so that she died.
6 I then took my concubine, cut her up and sent her throughout the entire territory of the heritage ofIsrael, since these men had committed a shameful act, an infamy, in Israel.	6 So I took my concubine and cut her up and sent her through every part of the territory of Israel, because of the monstrous crime they had committed in Israel.
7 Now, all you Israelites, discuss the matter and give your decision here and now.'	7 Now that you are all here, O Israelites, state what you propose to do."
8 The whole people stood up as one man and said, 'None of us wil go home, none of us will go back tohis house!	8 All the people rose as one man to say, "None of us is to leave for his tent or return to his home.
9 And this is what we are now going to do to Gibeah. We shal draw lots	9 Now as for Gibeah, this is what we will do: We will proceed against it by lot,
10 and, throughout the tribes of Israel, select ten men out of a hundred, a hundred out of a thousand anda thousand out of ten thousand to col ect food for the people, so that, on their arrival, the latter may treat Gibeahin Benjamin as this infamy perpetrated in Israel deserves.'	10 taking from all the tribes of Israel ten men for every hundred, a hundred for every thousand, a thousand for every ten thousand, and procuring supplies for the soldiers who will go to deal fully and suitably with Gibeah of Benjamin for the crime it committed in Israel."
11 Thus, as one man, al the men of Israel mustered against the town.	11 When, therefore, all the men of Israel without exception were leagued together against the city,
12 The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin to say, 'What is this crimewhich has been committed in your territory?	12 the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin to say, "What is this evil which has occurred among you?
13 Now, give up these men, these scoundrels, living in Gibeah, so that we can put them to death andwipe out this evil from Israel.' The Benjaminites, however, would not listen to their brother Israelites.	13 Now give up these corrupt men of Gibeah, that we may put them to death and thus purge the evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites refused to accede to the demand of their brothers, the Israelites.
14 The Benjaminites left their towns and mustered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.	14 Instead, the Benjaminites assembled from their other cities to Gibeah, to do battle with the Israelites.
15 At the time, a count was made of the Benjaminites from the various towns: there were twenty-sixthousand swordsmen; and the count excluded the inhabitants of Gibeah.	15 The number of the Benjaminite swordsmen from the other cities on that occasion was twenty-six thousand, in addition to the inhabitants of Gibeah.
16 In this great army there were seven hundred first-rate left-handers, every man of whom could sling astone at a hair and not miss it.	16 Included in this total were seven hundred picked men who were left-handed, every one of them able to sling a stone at a hair without missing.
17 A count was also held of the men of Israel, excluding Benjamin: there were four hundred thousandmen, al experienced swordsmen.	17 Meanwhile the other Israelites who, without Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen ready for battle,
18 They moved off, up to Bethel, to consult God. The Israelites put the question, 'Which of us is to gofirst into battle against the Benjaminites?' And Yahweh replied, 'Judah is to go first.'	18 moved on to Bethel and consulted God. When the Israelites asked who should go first in the attack on the Benjaminites, the LORD said, "Judah shall go first."
19 In the morning, the Israelites moved off and pitched their camp over against Gibeah.	19 The next day the Israelites advanced on Gibeah with their forces.
20 The men of Israel advanced to do battle with Benjamin; they drew up their battle line in front ofGibeah.	20 On the day the Israelites drew up in battle array at Gibeah for the combat with Benjamin,
21 But the Benjaminites sal ied out from Gibeah and that day massacred twenty-two thousand Israelites.	21 the Benjaminites came out of the city and felled twenty-two thousand men of Israel.
22 The army of the men of Israel then took fresh heart and again drew up their battle line in the sameplace as the day before.	22 But though the Israelite soldiers took courage and again drew up for combat in the same place as on the previous day,
23 The Israelites went and wept before Yahweh until evening; they then consulted Yahweh; they asked,'Shal we join battle again with the sons of our brother Benjamin?' Yahweh replied, 'March against him!'	23 Then the Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening. "Shall I again engage my brother Benjamin in battle?" they asked the LORD; and the LORD answered that they should.
24 This second day, the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites,	24 when they met the Benjaminites for the second time,
25 and, this second day, Benjamin sallied out from Gibeah to meet them and massacred anothereighteen thousand Israelites, al experienced swordsmen.	25 once again the Benjaminites who came out of Gibeah against them felled eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them swordsmen.
26 Then al the Israelites and the whole people went off to Bethel; they wept and sat in Yahweh'spresence; they fasted all day till the evening and presented burnt offerings and communion sacrifices beforeYahweh.	26 So the entire Israelite army went up to Bethel, where they wept and remained fasting before the LORD until evening of that day, besides offering holocausts and peace offerings before the LORD.
27 The Israelites then consulted Yahweh. In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there,	27 When the Israelites consulted the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28 and Phinehas son of Eleazer, son of Aaron was its minister at the time. They said, 'Ought I to go intobattle against the sons of my brother Benjamin again, or should I stop?' Yahweh replied, 'March! For tomorrow Ishall deliver him into your hands.'	28 and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was ministering to him in those days), and asked, "Shall I go out again to battle with Benjamin, my brother, or shall I desist?" the LORD said, "Attack! for tomorrow I will deliver him into your power."
29 Israel then positioned troops in ambush al round Gibeah.	29 So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.
30 On the third day the Israelites marched against the Benjaminites and, as before, drew up their line infront of Gibeah.	30 The Israelites went up against the Benjaminites for the third time and formed their line of battle at Gibeah as on other occasions.
31 The Benjaminites sal ied out to engage the people and let themselves be drawn away from the town.As before, they began by kil ing those of the people who were on the roads, one of which runs up to Bethel, andthe other to Gibeah through open country: some thirty men of Israel.	31 The Benjaminites went out to meet them, and in the beginning they killed off about thirty of the Israelite soldiers in the open field, just as on the other occasions.
32 The Benjaminites thought, 'We have beaten them, as we did the first time,' but the Israelites haddecided, 'We shal run away and draw them away from the town along the roads.'	32 Therefore the Benjaminites thought, "We are defeating them as before"; not realizing that disaster was about to overtake them. The Israelites, however, had planned the flight so as to draw them away from the city onto the highways. They were drawn away from the city onto the highways, of which the one led to Bethel, the other to Gibeon.
33 All the Israelites then retreated and reformed at Baal-Tamar, while the Israelite troops in ambushsurged from their positions to the west of Gibeah.	33 And then all the men of Israel rose from their places. They re-formed their ranks at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush rushed from their place west of Gibeah,
34 Ten thousand picked men, chosen from the whole of Israel, launched their attack on Gibeah. Thebattle was fierce; and the others knew nothing of the disaster impending.	34 ten thousand picked men from all Israel, and advanced against the city itself. In a fierce battle,
35 Yahweh defeated Benjamin before Israel and that day the Israelites kil ed twenty-five thousand onehundred men of Benjamin, al of them trained swordsmen.	35 the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel; and on that day the Israelites killed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them swordsmen.
36 The Benjaminites saw that they were beaten. The Israelites had given ground to Benjamin, since theywere relying on the ambush which they had positioned close to Gibeah.	36 To the Benjaminites it had looked as though the enemy were defeated, for the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, trusting in the ambush they had set at Gibeah.
37 The troops in ambush threw themselves against Gibeah at top speed; fanning out, they put the wholetown to the sword.	37 But then the men in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, overran it, and put the whole city to the sword.
38 Now it had been agreed between the Israelites and those of the ambush that the latter should raise asmoke signal from the town,	38 Now, the other Israelites had agreed with the men in ambush on a smoke signal they were to send up from the city.
39 whereupon the Israelites in the thick of the battle would turn about. Benjamin began by kil ing some ofthe Israelites, about thirty men, and thought, 'We have certainly beaten them, as we did in the first battle.'	39 And though the men of Benjamin had begun by killing off some thirty of the men of Israel, under the impression that they were defeating them as surely as in the earlier fighting, the Israelites wheeled about to resist
40 But the signal, a column of smoke, began to rise from the town, and the Benjaminites looking backsaw the whole town going up in flames to the sky.	40 as the smoke of the signal column began to rise up from the city. It was when Benjamin looked back and saw the whole city in flames against the sky
41 The Israelites then turned about, and the Benjaminites were seized with terror, for they saw thatdisaster had struck them.	41 that the men of Israel wheeled about. Therefore the men of Benjamin were thrown into confusion, for they realized the disaster that had overtaken them.
42 They broke before the Israelite onslaught and made for the desert, but the fighters pressed themhard, while the others coming out of the town took and slaughtered them from the rear.	42 They retreated before the men of Israel in the direction of the desert, with the fight being pressed against them. In their very midst, meanwhile, those who had been in the city were spreading destruction.
43 They hemmed in the Benjaminites, pursued them relentlessly, crushing them opposite Gibeah on theeast.	43 The men of Benjamin had been surrounded, and were now pursued to a point east of Gibeah,
44 Of Benjamin, eighteen thousand men fel , al of them brave men.	44 while eighteen thousand of them fell, warriors to a man.
45 They then turned tail and fled into the desert, towards the Rock of Rimmon. Five thousand of themwere picked off on the roads, and the rest were relentlessly pursued as far as Gideon, two thousand of thembeing kil ed.	45 The rest turned and fled through the desert to the rock Rimmon. But on the highways the Israelites picked off five thousand men among them, and chasing them up to Gidom, killed another two thousand of them there.
46 The total number of Benjaminites who fel that day was twenty-five thousand swordsmen, al of thembrave men.	46 Those of Benjamin who fell on that day were in all twenty-five thousand swordsmen, warriors to a man.
47 Six hundred men, however, turned tail and escaped into the desert, to the Rock of Rimmon, andthere they stayed for four months.	47 But six hundred others who turned and fled through the desert reached the rock Rimmon, where they remained for four months.
48 The men of Israel then went back to the Benjaminites, and put them to the sword-people, livestockand everything else that came their way in the town. And they fired all the towns involved.	48 The men of Israel withdrew through the territory of the Benjaminites, putting to the sword the inhabitants of the cities, the livestock, and all they chanced upon. Moreover they destroyed by fire all the cities they came upon.