| New International Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the LORD in Mizpah. | 1Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah. |
| 2The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God's people, four hundred thousand men armed with swords. | 2The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords. |
| 3(The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, "Tell us how this awful thing happened." | 3(Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?” |
| 4So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, "I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. | 4So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. |
| 5During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. | 5And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died. |
| 6I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel's inheritance, because they committed this lewd and outrageous act in Israel. | 6Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. |
| 7Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do." | 7Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.” |
| 8All the men rose up together as one, saying, "None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. | 8Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house. |
| 9But now this is what we'll do to Gibeah: We'll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots. | 9Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates. |
| 10We'll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel." | 10We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.” |
| 11So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city. | 11So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city. |
| 12The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What about this awful crime that was committed among you? | 12And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? |
| 13Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel." But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. | 13Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.” But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites. |
| 14From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. | 14And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites. |
| 15At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred able young men from those living in Gibeah. | 15On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah. |
| 16Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. | 16Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing. |
| 17Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle. | 17The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior. |
| 18The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?" The LORD replied, "Judah shall go first." | 18The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied. |
| 19The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. | 19The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah. |
| 20The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. | 20And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah. |
| 21The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day. | 21And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day. |
| 22But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. | 22But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day. |
| 23The Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and they inquired of the LORD. They said, "Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?" The LORD answered, "Go up against them." | 23They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.” |
| 24Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. | 24On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites. |
| 25This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords. | 25That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords. |
| 26Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD. | 26Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. |
| 27And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, | 27And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, |
| 28with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, "Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?" The LORD responded, "Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands." | 28and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.” |
| 29Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah. | 29So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah. |
| 30They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. | 30On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before. |
| 31The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads--the one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. | 31The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. |
| 32While the Benjamites were saying, "We are defeating them as before," the Israelites were saying, "Let's retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads." | 32“We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.” |
| 33All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place on the west of Gibeah. | 33So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah. |
| 34Then ten thousand of Israel's able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was. | 34Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them. |
| 35The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. | 35The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. |
| 36Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten. Now the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah. | 36Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated. Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah. |
| 37Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword. | 37The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword. |
| 38The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city, | 38The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, |
| 39and then the Israelites would counterattack. The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, "We are defeating them as in the first battle." | 39the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.” |
| 40But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke. | 40But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke. |
| 41Then the Israelites counterattacked, and the Benjamites were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come on them. | 41Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them. |
| 42So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the towns cut them down there. | 42So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there. |
| 43They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. | 43They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. |
| 44Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters. | 44And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor. |
| 45As they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more. | 45Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more. |
| 46On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters. | 46That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor. |
| 47But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. | 47But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. |
| 48The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire. | 48And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path. |
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