Parallel Bible results for "judges 20"

Judges 20

Common English Bible CEB

1 Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beer-sheba, as well as from the area of Gilead, marched out, and the group assembled as one body in the LORD's presence at Mizpah.

2 The commanders of the people and of all the tribes of Israel took their place in the assembly of God's people, four hundred thousand foot soldiers armed with swords.

3 And the Benjaminites got word that the Israelites had marched up to Mizpah. The Israelites inquired, "Tell us how this evil act happened."

4 So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, "My secondary wife and I came to Gibeah of Benjamin to spend the night,

5 and the leading citizens of Gibeah tried to attack me. They surrounded me in the house at night and were determined to kill me. They abused my secondary wife until she died.

6 I took her, chopped her up, and sent her pieces into every part of Israel's territory, because they had committed a disgraceful act in Israel.

7 All you Israelites, say what you think should be done here and now!"

8 At this, all the people stood as one to say, "Not a single one of us is going home or returning to our house!

9 This is what we're now going to do to Gibeah: We'll march up against it as the lot determines.

10 From all the tribes of Israel, we'll get ten men for every hundred, one hundred for every thousand, and one thousand for every ten thousand to take supplies for the troops who are going to pay back Gibeah of Benjamin for the disgraceful act they've done in Israel."

11 So all the Israelites joined together and were united as one against the city.

12 The Israelite tribes sent men throughout the whole tribe of Benjamin with this message: "What about this evil act that happened among you?

13 Now hand over those perverse men in Gibeah so that we can execute them and remove the evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites refused to comply with the demand of their own relatives the Israelites.

14 Instead, the Benjaminites from all the cities came together at Gibeah to march out for battle against the Israelites.

15 On that day, the Benjaminites called up from their cities twenty-six thousand men armed with swords, not counting those living in Gibeah.

16 Out of this entire army, seven hundred specially chosen men were left-handed, and every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17 Not counting Benjamin, the Israelites called up four hundred thousand men armed with swords, and every one of them was a trained warrior.

18 Then the Israelites marched up to Bethel to ask for direction from God. They inquired, "Who should go up first to fight against the Benjaminites for us?" And the LORD said, "Let the tribe of Judah be first."

19 So the next morning, the Israelites got up and camped near Gibeah.

20 They marched out to fight against the Benjaminites, lining up in battle formation against them at Gibeah.

21 But the Benjaminites marched out from Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelite men that day.

22 The Israelite troops regrouped and lined up in battle formation again in the same place they had lined up the first day.

23 So the Israelites went back up and wept before the LORD until evening. They asked the LORD, "Should we move in again to fight our relatives the Benjaminites?" And the LORD replied, "March out against them."

24 The Israelites moved in against the Benjaminites the second day.

25 But the Benjaminites marched out of Gibeah to meet them on that second day and cut down another eighteen thousand Israelite men, all of whom were armed with swords.

26 Then all the Israelite troops went back up to Bethel and wept, just sitting there in the LORD's presence. They fasted that whole day until evening. Then they offered entirely burned offerings and well-being sacrifices to the LORD.

27 Now in those days the chest containing God's covenant was there,

28 and Phinehas, Eleazar's son and Aaron's grandson, was in charge of ministering before it. The Israelites asked the LORD, "Should we march out once again to fight our relatives the Benjaminites or should we give up?" And the LORD replied, "March up, for I'll hand them to you tomorrow."

29 So the Israelites set ambushes around Gibeah.

30 Three days later, the Israelites marched out against the Benjaminites. They lined up for battle against Gibeah as before.

31 When the Benjaminites came out to meet them, they were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down some of the troops just like the last time, about thirty Israelites along the main roads, one of which goes up to Bethel and one to Gibeah, as well as in the open fields.

32 The Benjaminites thought, They're being wiped out before us like the first time. But the Israelites had planned, We'll retreat and draw them away from the city toward the main roads.

33 The Israelites moved from their position and reformed their battle lines at Baal-tamar. Then the Israelites who had been set in ambush charged out from their positions west of Gibeah.

34 Ten thousand specially chosen men from all the Israelites came against Gibeah. The fighting was fierce, and the Benjaminites didn't realize that disaster was almost on them.

35 The LORD wiped out the Benjaminites before Israel. The Israelites slaughtered twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjaminite men that day, all of them armed with swords.

36 Then the Benjaminites saw that they had been defeated. The Israelites had given ground to the Benjaminites because they relied on the ambush that they had set around Gibeah.

37 Indeed, those in the ambush had dashed swiftly into Gibeah and killed all the people in the city with their swords.

38 The plan between the main force of the Israelites and those in the ambush was that when they sent up a big cloud of smoke from the city,

39 the Israelites would turn around in battle. The Benjaminites had begun to defeat some of the Israelites and had killed about thirty men, thinking, They are definitely going to be wiped out before us, as in the first battle!

40 But then the column of smoke began to rise from the city. When the Benjaminites looked back, there was the entire city going up in smoke to the sky.

41 The main force of the Israelites turned around, and the Benjaminites lost heart, because they recognized that disaster had fallen on them.

42 They turned back before the Israelites in the direction of the desert, but the fighting caught up with them, and those from the towns were slaughtering them there.

43 They encircled the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, and trampled them to the east of Gibeah.

44 Eighteen thousand Benjaminites fell, all of whom were strong warriors.

45 When they turned back and fled toward the desert to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites picked off another five thousand men on the main roads. And when they caught up with them at Gidom, they struck down two thousand more.

46 All in all, the total number of Benjaminites who fell that day was twenty-five thousand men, all of whom were armed with swords and were strong warriors.

47 Six hundred men turned back and fled toward the desert to the rock of Rimmon. They stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months.

48 But the Israelites turned their attention to the rest of the Benjaminites and massacred them entirely—the city, the people, even the animals, and everything else they found. They also burned down every city they came across.

New Revised Standard NRS

1 Then all the Israelites came out, from Dan to Beer-sheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled in one body before the Lord at Mizpah.

2 The chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot-soldiers bearing arms.

3 (Now the Benjaminites heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites said, "Tell us, how did this criminal act come about?"

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

5 The lords of Gibeah rose up against me, and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she died.

6 Then I took my concubine and cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the whole extent of Israel's territory; for they have committed a vile outrage in Israel.

7 So now, you Israelites, all of you, give your advice and counsel here."

8 All the people got up as one, saying, "We will not any of us go to our tents, nor will any of us return to our houses.

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

10 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 troops, who are going to repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the disgrace that they have done in Israel."

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

12 The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What crime is this that has been committed among you?

13 Now then, hand over those scoundrels in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death, and purge the evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites would not listen to their kinsfolk, the Israelites.

14 The Benjaminites came together out of the towns to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the Israelites.

15 On that day the Benjaminites mustered twenty-six thousand armed men from their towns, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah.

16 Of all this force, there were seven hundred picked men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair, and not miss.

17 And the Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand armed men, all of them warriors.

18 The Israelites proceeded to go up to Bethel, where they inquired of God, "Which of us shall go up first to battle against the Benjaminites?" And the Lord answered, "Judah shall go up first."

19 Then the Israelites got up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

20 The Israelites went out to battle against Benjamin; and the Israelites drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.

21 The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah, and struck down on that day twenty-two thousand of the Israelites.

22 The Israelites took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.

23 The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until the evening; and they inquired of the Lord, "Shall we again draw near to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites?" And the Lord said, "Go up against them."

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

25 Benjamin moved out against them from Gibeah the second day, and struck down eighteen thousand of the Israelites, all of them armed men.

26 Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went back to Bethel and wept, sitting there before the Lord; they fasted that day until evening. Then they offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of well-being before the Lord.

27 And the Israelites inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, "Shall we go out once more to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites, or shall we desist?" The Lord answered, "Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand."

29 So Israel stationed men in ambush around Gibeah.

30 Then the Israelites went up against the Benjaminites on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as before.

31 When the Benjaminites went out against the army, they were drawn away from the city. As before they began to inflict casualties on the troops, along the main roads, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, as well as in the open country, killing about thirty men of Israel.

32 The Benjaminites thought, "They are being routed before us, as previously." But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city toward the roads."

33 The main body of the Israelites drew back its battle line to Baal-tamar, while those Israelites who were in ambush rushed out of their place west of Geba.

34 There came against Gibeah ten thousand picked men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was close upon them.

35 The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel; and the Israelites destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day, all of them armed.

36 Then the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated. The Israelites gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted to the troops in ambush that they had stationed against Gibeah.

37 The troops in ambush rushed quickly upon Gibeah. Then they put the whole city to the sword.

38 Now the agreement between the main body of Israel and the men in ambush was that when they sent up a cloud of smoke out of the city

39 the main body of Israel should turn in battle. But Benjamin had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites, killing about thirty of them; so they thought, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle."

40 But when the cloud, a column of smoke, began to rise out of the city, the Benjaminites looked behind them—and there was the whole city going up in smoke toward the sky!

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

42 Therefore they turned away from the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the city were slaughtering them in between.

43 Cutting down the Benjaminites, they pursued them from Nohah and trod them down as far as a place east of Gibeah.

44 Eighteen thousand Benjaminites fell, all of them courageous fighters.

45 When they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, five thousand of them were cut down on the main roads, and they were pursued as far as Gidom, and two thousand of them were slain.

46 So all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand arms-bearing men, all of them courageous fighters.

47 But six hundred turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months.

48 Meanwhile, the Israelites turned back against the Benjaminites, and put them to the sword—the city, the people, the animals, and all that remained. Also the remaining towns they set on fire.