CHAPTER 20
1 Therefore all the sons of Israel went [out], and were gathered together as one man, from Dan till to Beersheba, and (also) from the land of Gilead, to the Lord in Mizpeh (or before the Lord at Mizpeh);
2 and all the corners of peoples, and all the lineages of Israel, came together into the church of the people of God, four hundred thousand of footmen fighters. (and all the chief men of the people, of all the tribes of Israel, came together to a gathering of the people of God, yea, to four hundred thousand footmen who were ready to fight.)
3 And it was not hid from the sons of Benjamin, that the sons of Israel had gone up into Mizpeh.
4 And the deacon, [the] husband of the (secondary) wife that was slain, was asked, how so great felony was done; and he answered, I came with my (secondary) wife into Gibeah of Benjamin, and I turned thither. (And the Levite, the husband of the concubine who was murdered, was asked, How was this great felony done? and he answered, I came with my concubine to Gibeah in Benjamin, and I turned in there.)
5 And lo! [the] men of that city compassed in the night the house, in which I dwelled, (or And behold! the men of that city surrounded the house where I stayed that night), and they would slay me, and they travailed my (secondary) wife with unbelieveful madness of lechery; and at the last she was dead.
6 And I took, and cut her into gobbets, (or And I took her, and I cut her into pieces), and I sent those parts of her into all the terms of your possession; for so great (a) felony and so grievous (a) sin/and so great (a) sin was never done in Israel.
7 Now all ye sons of Israel (who) be present; deem ye, what ye ought to do.
8 And all the people stood, and answered as by the word of one man, (and said), We shall not go hence into our tabernacles (or We shall not go back to our tents), neither any of us shall enter into his house;
9 but we shall do this thing in common against Gibeah.
10 Ten men be chosen of an hundred, of all the lineages of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, that they bear meats to the host, and that we, fighting against Gibeah of Benjamin, may yield to it for the trespass that that it deserveth. (Let ten men be chosen out of a hundred, out of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to carry food for the army, and the rest of us, fighting against Gibeah in Benjamin, yield to them what they deserve for this trespass.)
11 And (so) all the people, as one man, came together to the city (or came together against the city of Gibeah), by the same thought and (of) one counsel.
12 And (the sons of) Israel sent messengers to all the lineage of Benjamin, and they said, Why so great felony is found in you? (And the Israelites sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin, and they said, Why is so great a felony found among you?)
13 Betake ye the men of Gibeah, that did this wickedness, that they die, and evil be done away from Israel. Which would not hear the commandment of their brethren, the sons of Israel, (Deliver ye unto us the men of Gibeah, who did this wickedness, so that they can die, and that this evil be done away from Israel. But they would not listen to the command of their kinsmen, the Israelites,)
14 but men of all the cities, that were of the part of Benjamin, came together into Gibeah, to help them, and to fight against all the people of Israel.
15 And twenty-six thousand were found of Benjamin, of men drawing out sword, besides the dwellers of Gibeah, which were seven hundred strongest men, (And there were twenty-six thousand Benjaminites, men drawing out the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were seven hundred of the strongest men,)
16 fighting so with the left hand as with the right hand, and casting so stones with slings at a certain thing, that they might smite also an hair, and the stroke of the stone should not be borne [away] into the tother part. (fighting with their left hand like with their right hand, and throwing stones with slings with such certainty, that they could strike a hair, and yet the stroke of the stone would never be borne aside into some other place.)
17 Also of the men of Israel, without the sons of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand drawing out sword, and ready to battle. (And the Israelites, without the Benjaminites, were four hundred thousand men drawing out swords, and ready for battle.)
18 Which rose, and came into the house of God, that is in Shiloh; and they counselled with God, and said, Who shall be prince in our host of the battle against the sons of Benjamin? To whom the Lord answered, Judah be your duke. (And they rose up, and came into the House of God, that was in Bethel; and they counselled with God, and said, Who should be the leader of our army in the battle against the Benjaminites? To whom the Lord answered, Judah should be your leader.)
19 And anon the sons of Israel rose early, and setted tents against Gibeah. (And so early in the morning the Israelites rose up, and then pitched their tents opposite Gibeah.)
20 And from thence they went out to battle against Benjamin, and Israel began to fight against Gibeah.
21 And the sons of Benjamin went out of Gibeah, and killed of the sons of Israel in that day two and twenty thousand men.
22 And again (the next day), the sons of Israel trusted in their own strength, and in (the) number of (their) people, and they dressed [the] battle array, in the same place in which they (had) fought before;
23 so nevertheless that they went up before to the house(of God), and they wept before the Lord unto [the] night, and they counselled with him, and said, Shall I go forth more to fight against the sons of Benjamin, my brethren, either nay? To whom he answered, Ascend ye to them, and begin ye the battle. (for they had gone up the evening before to the House of God, and they had wept before the Lord into the night, and had counselled with him, and had said, Should we go forth again to fight against our kinsmen, the Benjaminites, or not? To whom he answered, Go ye up to them, and make ye the battle.)
24 And (so) when the sons of Israel had gone forth to battle in the tother day against Benjamin,
25 the sons of Benjamin brake out from the gates of Gibeah, and came to (the sons of) Israel; and the sons of Benjamin were wild against Israel by so fierce slaying (or and the Benjaminites were so wild against the Israelites with such fierce slaughter), that they threw down eighteen thousand men of Israel drawing out (the) sword.
26 Wherefore all the sons of Israel came (again) into the house of God, and they sat, and wept before the Lord, and they fasted in that day unto the eventide; and they offered to the Lord burnt sacrifices, and peaceable sacrifices, (or and they offered to the Lord burnt sacrifices, and peace offerings),
27 and they asked the Lord of their state. In that time, the ark of the bond of peace of God was there, (or For at that time, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was there);
28 and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was sovereign of the Lord’s house. Then they counselled (with) the Lord, and said, Shall we go out more to battle against the sons of Benjamin, our brethren, either shall we rest? To whom the Lord said, Go ye up against them, for tomorrow I shall betake (the sons of) Benjamin into your hands. (and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was the ruler of theLord’s House. And again they counselled with the Lord, and said, Should we go out again to do more battle against our kinsmen the Benjaminites, or should we cease? To whom the Lord said, Go ye up against them, for tomorrow I shall deliver the Benjaminites into your hands.)
29 And the sons of Israel setted ambushments by compass of the city of Gibeah; (And so the Israelites set men in ambush all around the city of Gibeah;)
30 and the third time, as once and twice before, they brought forth the host against (the sons of) Benjamin.
31 But also then the sons of Benjamin brake out from the city boldly, and they pursued further the adversaries fleeing, so that they wounded of Israel, as they did in the first day, and the second, and they killed by two paths Israel turning (their) backs; of the which paths one was straight out into Bethel, and the tother into Gibeah. And Benjamin threw down about thirty men of Israel; (And then the Benjaminites broke out boldly from the city, and again they pursued their adversaries, and made them to flee; and they struck the Israelites, like they did on the first day, and on the second; and on two paths they killed the Israelites who had turned their backs to them; of the which paths one went straight out to Bethel, and the other into Gibeah. And so the Benjaminites threw down about thirty more men of Israel;)
32 for they guessed to destroy Israel as they did before; and by craft, Israel took counsel, feigning them to flee, (or but the Israelites had taken counsel, and by a carefully thought-out plan, feigned themselves to flee), (so) that they should draw (away the sons of) Benjamin from the city, and that they as fleeing should bring forth (the sons of) Benjamin to the foresaid paths.
33 Therefore all the sons of Israel rose (up out) of their seats, and setted battle array in the place which is called Baaltamar. And the ambushments, that were about the city, began to open themselves little and little, and to go forth from the west part of the city. (And so all the Israelites rose up out of their places, and made the battle array in the place which is called Baaltamar. And the men in ambush, who were all around the city, began to open themselves up little by little, and to go forth from the west part of the city.)
34 But also other ten thousand of men of all Israel excited the dwellers of the city to battles; and the battle was made grievous against the sons of Benjamin, and they understood not, that perishing nighed to them on each part. (And another ten thousand Israelites attacked the inhabitants of the city; and the battle was made grievous, or very hard, against the Benjaminites, and they did not understand, that death nighed to them on every side.)
35 And the Lord smote Benjamin in the sight of the sons of Israel, and Israel killed of them in that day five and twenty thousand and an hundred men, and all these were warriors and men drawing out sword. (And the Lord struck down the Benjaminites before the Israelites, and on that day the Israelites killed twenty-five thousand and a hundred men of them, and they were all warriors and men drawing out the sword.)
36 Soothly the sons of Benjamin began to flee, when they saw, that they were the lower. And the sons of Israel saw this, and gave to them place to flee, that they should come to the ambushments made ready, which they had set beside the city. (And the Benjaminites began to flee, when they saw, that they were losing. And the Israelites saw this, and gave them a place to which to flee, so that they would come to the men who were waiting in ambush, that they had positioned outside the city.)
37 And when these ambushments had risen up suddenly from [the] hid places, and Benjamin gave (their) backs to the slayers, they entered into the city, and they smote it by sharpness of sword. (And when those set in ambush had suddenly risen up from their hiding places, and the Benjaminites had given their backs to the killers, the Israelites entered into the city, and struck down the people with their sharp swords.)
38 Soothly the sons of Israel had given a sign to them which they had set in ambushments, that after that they had taken the city, they should kindle (a) fire, and that by smoke ascending on high, they should show the city (to be) taken. (And the Israelites had arranged a sign, or a signal, from those whom they had set in ambush, which was that after they had taken the city, they would kindle a fire, and that by the smoke going up on high, they would show that the city had been taken.)
39 And when the sons of Israel set in that battle saw this; for the sons of Benjamin guessed them to flee, and they followed busilier, when thirty men of their host were slain; (And so the Israelites set in the battle saw this; but the Benjaminites guessed them to flee, and they followed them more busily, for they had already killed thirty Israelites;)
40 and they saw as a pillar of smoke go up from the city. And also Benjamin beholding behind, when he saw his city taken, and the flames be borne on high, (yea, the Israelites saw the pillar of smoke go up from the city. And then the Benjaminites looking behind, also saw that their city had been taken, and the flames of it to be borne up on high.)
41 they that feigned to flee before, turned their face to Benjamin, and more strongly withstood him. And when the sons of Benjamin had seen this thing, (And then they who had feigned to flee before, now turned their faces to the Benjaminites or now turned to face the Benjaminites, and strongly stood against them. And when the Benjaminites had seen this,)
42 they were turned into flight, and they began to go to the way of desert; while also adversaries pursued them there; but also they, that had burnt the city, came against them. (they turned to flight, yea, to run away, and they started on the way to the wilderness; but their adversaries pursued them there; and then also they, who had burned down the city, came out against them.)
43 And so it was done, that Benjamin was slain of enemies on each part, neither there was any rest of men dying; and they felled, and were cast down at the east coast of the city of Gibeah. (And so it was done, that the Benjaminites were killed by their enemies on every side, nor was there any ceasing of men dying; and they fell, and were thrown down on the east side of the city of Gibeah.)
44 Forsooth they (of Benjamin), that were slain in the same place, were eighteen thousand of men, all strongest fighters. (And the Benjaminites, who were killed at that place, were eighteen thousand, very strong fighting men.)
45 And when they that (were) left alive of Benjamin had seen this, they fled into (the) wilderness, and they went to the stone, whose name is Rimmon, (or and they went to the Rock of Rimmon). And in that flight the sons of Israel went openly after (them), into diverse places (unto Gidom), and they killed of them five thousand men; and when (the sons of) Benjamin fled further, they pursued them, and killed also of them (an)other two thousand men.
46 And so it was done, that all that felled down of (the sons of) Benjamin in diverse places, were five and twenty thousand, fighters most ready to battles. (And so it was done, that all of the Benjaminites who fell down in diverse places that day, were twenty-five thousand fighting men, all ready for battle.)
47 And so six hundred men (were) left of all the number of Benjamin, that might escape, and flee into wilderness; and they sat in the stone of Rimmon four months. (And so only six hundred men escaped, and were left alive, of all the number of Benjamin, and they fled into the wilderness; and they sat at the Rock of Rimmon for four months.)
48 And the sons of Israel went out, and they smote with sword all the remnants of the city, from men unto work beasts; and (then) devouring flame wasted all the cities and (the) towns of Benjamin.