King James Bible

Christian Standard Bible

1Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

1All the Israelites from Dan to Beer-sheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the community assembled as one body before the LORD at Mizpah.

2And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

2The leaders of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: four hundred thousand armed foot soldiers.

3(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

3The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites asked, "Tell us, how did this evil act happen?"

4And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

4The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: "I went to Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night.

5And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

5Citizens of Gibeah came to attack me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, but they raped my concubine, and she died.

6And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

6Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout Israel's territory, because they have committed a wicked outrage in Israel.

7Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

7Look, all of you are Israelites. Give your judgment and verdict here and now."

8And 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 into his house.

8Then all the people stood united and said, "None of us will go to his tent or return to his house.

9But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;

9Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will attack it. By lot

10And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

10we will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred out of every thousand, and one thousand out of every ten thousand to get provisions for the troops when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for all the outrage they committed in Israel."

11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

11So all the men of Israel gathered united against the city.

12And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?

12Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this evil act that has happened among you?

13Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

13Hand over the wicked men in Gibeah so we can put them to death and eradicate evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.

14But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

14Instead, the Benjaminites gathered together from their cities to Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.

15And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

15On that day the Benjaminites mobilized twenty-six thousand armed men from their cities, besides seven hundred fit young men rallied by the inhabitants of Gibeah.

16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

16There were seven hundred fit young men who were left-handed among all these troops; all could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

17The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized four hundred thousand armed men, every one an experienced warrior.

18And the children of Israel 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 Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.

18They set out, went to Bethel, and inquired of God. The Israelites asked, "Who is to go first to fight for us against the Benjaminites?" And the LORD answered, "Judah will be first."

19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

19In the morning, the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.

20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.

20The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took their battle positions against Gibeah.

21And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.

21The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered twenty-two thousand men of Israel on the field that day.

22And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

22But the Israelite troops rallied and again took their battle positions in the same place where they positioned themselves on the first day.

23(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

23They went up, wept before the LORD until evening, and inquired of him: "Should we again attack our brothers the Benjaminites?" And the LORD answered: "Fight against them."

24And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.

24On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites.

25And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

25That same day the Benjaminites came out from Gibeah to meet them and slaughtered an additional eighteen thousand Israelites on the field; all were armed.

26Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

26The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD.

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

27Then the Israelites inquired of the LORD. In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there,

28And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

28and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked: "Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop?" The LORD answered: "Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow."

29And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

29So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah.

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

30On the third day the Israelites fought against the Benjaminites and took their battle positions against Gibeah as before.

31And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

31Then the Benjaminites came out against the troops and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the troops as before, killing about thirty men of Israel on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah through the open country.

32And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.

32The Benjaminites said, "We are defeating them as before." But the Israelites said, "Let's flee and draw them away from the city to the highways."

33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.

33So all the men of Israel got up from their places and took their battle positions at Baal-tamar, while the Israelites in ambush charged out of their places west of Geba.

34And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.

34Then ten thousand fit young men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was about to strike them.

35And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

35The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 men of Benjamin; all were armed.

36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

36Then the Benjaminites realized they had been defeated. The men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin, because they were confident in the ambush they had set against Gibeah.

37And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

37The men in ambush had rushed quickly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.

38Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

38The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

39And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

39the men of Israel would return to the battle. When Benjamin had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, "They're defeated before us, just as they were in the first battle."

40But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

40But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, Benjamin looked behind them, and the whole city was going up in smoke.

41And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.

41Then the men of Israel returned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had struck them.

42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

42They retreated before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities slaughtered those between them.

43Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

43They surrounded the Benjaminites, pursued them, and easily overtook them near Gibeah toward the east.

44And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

44There were eighteen thousand men who died from Benjamin; all were warriors.

45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

45Then Benjamin turned and fled toward the wilderness to Rimmon Rock, and Israel killed five thousand men on the highways. They overtook them at Gidom and struck two thousand more dead.

46So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

46All the Benjaminites who died that day were twenty-five thousand armed men; all were warriors.

47But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

47But six hundred men escaped into the wilderness to Rimmon Rock and stayed there four months.

48And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

48The men of Israel turned back against the other Benjaminites and killed them with their swords--the entire city, the animals, and everything that remained. They also burned all the cities that remained.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.