English Standard Version

New Living Translation

1Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah.

1Then all the Israelites were united as one man, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, including those from across the Jordan in the land of Gilead. The entire community assembled in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.

2And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword.

2The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel—400,000 warriors armed with swords—took their positions in the assembly of the people of God.

3(Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?”

3(Word soon reached the land of Benjamin that the other tribes had gone up to Mizpah.) The Israelites then asked how this terrible crime had happened.

4And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.

4The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, “My concubine and I came to spend the night in Gibeah, a town that belongs to the people of Benjamin.

5And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.

5That night some of the leading citizens of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead.

6So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel.

6So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the territory assigned to Israel, for these men have committed a terrible and shameful crime.

7Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here.”

7Now then, all of you—the entire community of Israel—must decide here and now what should be done about this!”

8And all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house.

8And all the people rose to their feet in unison and declared, “None of us will return home! No, not even one of us!

9But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot,

9Instead, this is what we will do to Gibeah; we will draw lots to decide who will attack it.

10and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.”

10One-tenth of the men from each tribe will be chosen to supply the warriors with food, and the rest of us will take revenge on Gibeah of Benjamin for this shameful thing they have done in Israel.”

11So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.

11So all the Israelites were completely united, and they gathered together to attack the town.

12And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you?

12The Israelites sent messengers to the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What a terrible thing has been done among you!

13Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.

13Give up those evil men, those troublemakers from Gibeah, so we can execute them and purge Israel of this evil.” But the people of Benjamin would not listen.

14Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel.

14Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.

15And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day 26,000 men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered 700 chosen men.

15In all, 26,000 of their warriors armed with swords arrived in Gibeah to join the 700 elite troops who lived there.

16Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

16Among Benjamin’s elite troops, 700 were left-handed, and each of them could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairsbreadth without missing.

17And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war.

17Israel had 400,000 experienced soldiers armed with swords, not counting Benjamin’s warriors.

18The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.”

18Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Benjamin?” The LORD answered, “Judah is to go first.”

19Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.

19So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah.

20And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.

20Then they advanced toward Gibeah to attack the men of Benjamin.

21The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.

21But Benjamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.

22But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.

22But the Israelites encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day.

23And the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Go up against them.”

23For they had gone up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the LORD until evening. They had asked the LORD, “Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again?” And the LORD had said, “Go out and fight against them.”

24So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day.

24So the next day they went out again to fight against the men of Benjamin,

25And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword.

25but the men of Benjamin killed another 18,000 Israelites, all of whom were experienced with the sword.

26Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

26Then all the Israelites went up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the LORD and fasted until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.

27And the people of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

27The Israelites went up seeking direction from the LORD. (In those days the Ark of the Covenant of God was in Bethel,

28and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

28and Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron was the priest.) The Israelites asked the LORD, “Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again, or should we stop?” The LORD said, “Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

29So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

29So the Israelites set an ambush all around Gibeah.

30And the people of Israel went up against the people of Benjamin on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

30They went out on the third day and took their positions at the same place as before.

31And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.

31When the men of Benjamin came out to attack, they were drawn away from the town. And as they had done before, they began to kill the Israelites. About thirty Israelites died in the open fields and along the roads, one leading to Bethel and the other leading back to Gibeah.

32And the people of Benjamin said, “They are routed before us, as at the first.” But the people of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

32Then the warriors of Benjamin shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did before!” But the Israelites had planned in advance to run away so that the men of Benjamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn away from the town.

33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel who were in ambush rushed out of their place from Maareh-geba.

33When the main group of Israelite warriors reached Baal-tamar, they turned and took up their positions. Meanwhile, the Israelites hiding in ambush to the west of Gibeah jumped up to fight.

34And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them.

34There were 10,000 elite Israelite troops who advanced against Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that Benjamin didn’t realize the impending disaster.

35And the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day. All these were men who drew the sword.

35So the LORD helped Israel defeat Benjamin, and that day the Israelites killed 25,100 of Benjamin’s warriors, all of whom were experienced swordsmen.

36So the people of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah.

36Then the men of Benjamin saw that they were beaten. The Israelites had retreated from Benjamin’s warriors in order to give those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver against Gibeah.

37Then the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush moved out and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.

37Then those who were hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the town.

38Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city

38They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town as a signal.

39the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

39When the Israelites saw the smoke, they turned and attacked Benjamin’s warriors. By that time Benjamin’s warriors had killed about thirty Israelites, and they shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did in the first battle!”

40But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven.

40But when the warriors of Benjamin looked behind them and saw the smoke rising into the sky from every part of the town,

41Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them.

41the men of Israel turned and attacked. At this point the men of Benjamin became terrified, because they realized disaster was close at hand.

42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them. And those who came out of the cities were destroying them in their midst.

42So they turned around and fled before the Israelites toward the wilderness. But they couldn’t escape the battle, and the people who came out of the nearby towns were also killed.

43Surrounding the Benjaminites, they pursued them and trod them down from Nohah as far as opposite Gibeah on the east.

43The Israelites surrounded the men of Benjamin and chased them relentlessly, finally overtaking them east of Gibeah.

44Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all of them men of valor.

44That day 18,000 of Benjamin’s strongest warriors died in battle.

45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. Five thousand men of them were cut down in the highways. And they were pursued hard to Gidom, and 2,000 men of them were struck down.

45The survivors fled into the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon, but Israel killed 5,000 of them along the road. They continued the chase until they had killed another 2,000 near Gidom.

46So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor.

46So that day the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 strong warriors armed with swords,

47But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.

47leaving only 600 men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon, where they lived for four months.

48And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.

48And the Israelites returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns—the people, the livestock, and everything they found. They also burned down all the towns they came to.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.