| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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?” | 3The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said, "Explain how this wicked thing 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 murdered woman, spoke up, "I and my concubine stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 7Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here.” | 7All you Israelites, make a decision here!" |
| 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. | 8All Israel rose up in unison and said, "Not one of us will go home! Not one of us will return to his house! |
| 9But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot, | 9Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates. |
| 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.” | 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." |
| 11So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man. | 11So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies. |
| 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 tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "How could such a wicked thing take place? |
| 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. | 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. |
| 14Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel. | 14The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah to make war against 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. | 15That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah. |
| 16Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. | 16Among this army were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers. Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target. |
| 17And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war. | 17The men of Israel (not counting Benjamin) had mustered four hundred thousand sword-wielding soldiers, every one an experienced warrior. |
| 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.” | 18The Israelites went up to Bethel and asked God, "Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?" The LORD said, "Judah should lead." |
| 19Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. | 19The Israelites got up the next morning and moved against 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. | 20The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they arranged their battle lines against Gibeah. |
| 21The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites. | 21The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand Israelites 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. | 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. |
| 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.” | 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!" |
| 24So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. | 24So the Israelites marched toward the Benjaminites the next day. |
| 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. | 25The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down eighteen thousand sword-wielding Israelite soldiers. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 27And the people of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, | 27The Israelites asked the LORD (for the ark of God's covenant was there in those days; |
| 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.” | 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." |
| 29So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. | 29So Israel hid men in ambush outside 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. | 30The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done 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. | 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. |
| 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 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." |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 35The LORD annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites. |
| 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 Benjaminites saw they were defeated. The Israelites retreated before Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside 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. | 37The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash to Gibeah. They attacked and put the sword to the entire city. |
| 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 | 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, |
| 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.” | 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." |
| 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 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. |
| 41Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them. | 41When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 43Surrounding the Benjaminites, they pursued them and trod them down from Nohah as far as opposite Gibeah on the east. | 43They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, and annihilated them all the way to a spot east of Geba. |
| 44Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all of them men of valor. | 44Eighteen thousand Benjaminites, all of them capable warriors, fell dead. |
| 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 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. |
| 46So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor. | 46That day twenty-five thousand sword-wielding Benjaminites fell in battle, all of them capable warriors. |
| 47But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. | 47Six hundred survivors turned and ran away to the wilderness, to the cliff of Rimmon. They stayed there 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. | 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. |
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