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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Judges 20 ISV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/judges/20.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/judges/20-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ISV</a> > Judges 20</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../judges/19.htm" title="Judges 19">◄</a> Judges 20 <a href="../judges/21.htm" title="Judges 21">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">International Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/isv/esv/judges/20.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="heading">The Israelis Attack the Tribe of Benjamin</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Then the entire Israeli nation—from Dan to Beer-sheba, including the territory of Gilead—came out for war. The army assembled as one united force to God at Mizpah. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>The officials of the entire nation, including every tribe of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God: 400,000 foot soldiers, all of them<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:2 The Heb. lacks all of them">a</a></span> expert swordsmen. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>While the descendants of Benjamin were learning that the Israelis had gone up to Mizpah, the Israelis asked, “Somebody tell us how this evil could happen?”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>So the descendant of Levi, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up and replied, “I came to spend the night at Gibeah, which is part of Benjamin, along with my mistress. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>But the officials of Gibeah attacked me and surrounded the house because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they tortured my mistress to death. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>So I grabbed my mistress, cut her in pieces, and sent her remains<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:6 The Heb. lacks remains">b</a></span> throughout the territory of Israel’s inheritance, because they’ve committed a vile, stupid outrage in Israel. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>So look, all you Israelis! Speak up and give us your advice!”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Then the entire army stood up as a single unit and declared, “Nobody’s going back to his tent, and nobody’s going home! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>This is what we’ll do to Gibeah: we’re going to assemble an army by lottery. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>We’ll take ten men out of 100 from all of the tribes of Israel. We’ll appoint 100 out of 1,000 and 1,000 out of 10,000 to supply provisions for the army. And when we reach Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, we’ll punish them for all of the stupid things that they’ve done in Israel.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>That’s how the army of Israel came to be gathered together to attack the city, united as a single unit.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the entire tribe of Benjamin to ask them, “What is this evil thing that has occurred among you? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Now then, hand over the men—those ungodly men,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:13 Lit. men of Belial; i.e. men so wicked as to be worthy of death">c</a></span> and we’ll execute them in order to remove this evil from Israel.”</p> <p class="reg">But the descendants of Benjamin wouldn’t obey the request of their own relatives, the Israelis, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>so the descendants of Benjamin assembled from the cities of Gibeah to fight the Israelis in battle. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>The day of the battle,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:15 The Heb. lacks of the battle">d</a></span> the army from the descendants of Benjamin numbered 26,000 expert swordsmen from their cities, not including the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered 700 special forces soldiers. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Out of all these soldiers, 700 of them were left-handed—and each one could sling a stone at a hair and never miss. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>But the Israeli army—not counting the tribe of Benjamin—numbered 400,000 expert swordsmen, all of them battle-hardened soldiers.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:17 Lit. them men of war">e</a></span> </p> <p class="heading">Civil War Lays Waste to the Tribe of Benjamin</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>The Israelis mounted up, traveled to Bethel, and asked God what to do.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:18 The Heb. lacks what to do">f</a></span> They said, “Who is to lead us in our opening attack against the descendants of Benjamin?”</p> <p class="reg">The LORD replied, “Judah is to open the attack.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>So the Israelis got up in the morning, encamped near Gibeah, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>and the army of Israel went out to fight the tribe of Benjamin, assembling in battle array against them at Gibeah. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>The descendants of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and 22,000 soldiers of Israel fell in battle that day.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>But the army—the men of Israel—encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again the next day in the same place where they had gathered the day before. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>From there<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:23 Lit. Then">g</a></span> the Israelis went up and wept in the LORD’s presence until evening. Then they asked the LORD, “Should we attack the descendants of<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:23 Lit. of my brother; the descendants of Benjamin personified as an individual">h</a></span> Benjamin again?”</p> <p class="reg">The LORD replied, “Attack them.”<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:23 Lit. him; i.e. the descendants of Benjamin personified as an individual">i</a></span> </p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>So the Israelis attacked the descendants of Benjamin for a second day, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>and the tribe of Benjamin went to war against them from Gibeah during that second day, and 18,000 soldiers from the Israelis—all of them expert swordsmen—fell to the ground. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>All the Israelis, including its army, went up from there to Bethel and wept, remaining there in the LORD’s presence, fasting throughout the day until dusk, when they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings in the LORD’s presence. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>The Israelis inquired of the LORD, since the Ark of the Covenant was there<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:27 The Heb. lacks there">j</a></span> at that time <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>while Eleazar’s son Phinehas, a descendant of Aaron, served before it in those days. They asked, “Should we go out to war again against the descendants of our relative Benjamin, or shall we cease?”</p> <p class="reg">And the LORD answered, “Go out, and tomorrow I will deliver them into your control.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>So Israel set soldiers in ambush around Gibeah. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>The Israelis went out against the descendants of Benjamin on the third day, arraying themselves against Gibeah as they had done previously. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>They attacked the army and were drawn away from the city as they began to inflict casualties on the soldiers along the roads to Bethel and Gibeah, just as they had done the other times. About 30 soldiers from Israel fell in battle there<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:31 The Heb. lacks fell in battle there">k</a></span> and in the fields.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>Then the descendants of Benjamin told themselves,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:32 The Heb. lacks told themselves">l</a></span> “They’re falling right in front of us, just like before!”</p> <p class="reg">But the army of Israel told themselves, “Let’s draw them away by escaping to the highways from the city.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>So the entire army of Israel moved from their location and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamer while that part of their army moved from their ambush positions from Maareh-geba. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>As 10,000 of Israel’s best soldiers came to fight Gibeah, the battle became fierce, but the army of Benjamin didn’t know that disaster was close at hand. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>The LORD struck Benjamin in the full view of Israel. As a result, the Israelis destroyed 25,100 soldiers of Benjamin that day, all expert swordsmen.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>Then the descendants of Benjamin realized that they had been defeated. The army of Israel pretended to retreat from the army of Benjamin, knowing that they had set some soldiers in ambush near Gibeah. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-37.htm"><b>37</b></a></span>The soldiers in ambush rushed out to attack Gibeah, deploying in force<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:37 The Heb. lacks in force">m</a></span> and executing the entire city with swords. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-38.htm"><b>38</b></a></span>Meanwhile, the army of Israel had arranged to signal their soldiers who had been hiding in ambush by sending up a cloud of smoke from the city. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-39.htm"><b>39</b></a></span>The army of Israel turned around in the battle, and the army of Benjamin began to attack and kill about 30 soldiers, thinking, “Now we’re really defeating them,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:39 Lit. Now they are defeated in front of us">n</a></span> just like before.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-40.htm"><b>40</b></a></span>But then the smoke began to rise from the city in a column. The army of Benjamin observed behind them that the whole city was going up in flames<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:40 The Heb. lacks in flames">o</a></span> straight into the sky! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-41.htm"><b>41</b></a></span>At that point, as the army of Israel turned back to face the army of Benjamin,<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:41 The Heb. lacks back to face the army of Benjamin">p</a></span> the army of Benjamin was filled with terror, because they realized that disaster was about to overtake them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-42.htm"><b>42</b></a></span>So they turned tail and ran away from the army of Israel toward the wilderness, but they were overtaken in battle when soldiers came out from the cities to destroy them.<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:42 Lit. them among them">q</a></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-43.htm"><b>43</b></a></span>They surrounded the army of Benjamin, pursuing them ceaselessly until they defeated them near the east-facing<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:43 Lit. near the rising of the sun">r</a></span> border of Gibeah. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-44.htm"><b>44</b></a></span>That’s how 18,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin fell in battle, all of whom were valiant soldiers. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-45.htm"><b>45</b></a></span>The rest of them turned and ran into the wilderness in the direction of the rock of Rimmon, but 5,000 of them were killed on the highways while 2,000 of them were overtaken and killed near Gidom.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-46.htm"><b>46</b></a></span>To sum up, the soldiers from the tribe of Benjamin who died that day totaled 25,000 men, all of them expert swordsmen and valiant soldiers. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-47.htm"><b>47</b></a></span>However, 600 soldiers ran into the wilderness in the direction of the rock of Rimmon, where they remained as fugitives for four months. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/judges/20-48.htm"><b>48</b></a></span>Meanwhile, the army of Israel went back to fight the surviving<span class="fn"><a href="#ftn" title="20:48 The Heb. lacks surviving">s</a></span> descendants of Benjamin. They attacked the entire city with swords, including its cattle and everyone they could find. Then they set fire to all of the cities that they could find.</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="ftn"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn1"><span class="fnb">a</span> 20:2 The Heb. lacks <i>all of them</i><br /><span class="fnb">b</span> 20:6 The Heb. lacks <i>remains</i><br /><span class="fnb">c</span> 20:13 Lit. <i>men of Belial</i>; i.e. men so wicked as to be worthy of death<br /><span class="fnb">d</span> 20:15 The Heb. lacks <i>of the battle</i><br /><span class="fnb">e</span> 20:17 Lit. <i>them men of war</i><br /><span class="fnb">f</span> 20:18 The Heb. lacks <i>what to do</i><br /><span class="fnb">g</span> 20:23 Lit. <i>Then</i><br /><span class="fnb">h</span> 20:23 Lit. <i>of my brother</i>; the descendants of Benjamin personified as an individual<br /><span class="fnb">i</span> 20:23 Lit. <i>him</i>; i.e. the descendants of Benjamin personified as an individual<br /><span class="fnb">j</span> 20:27 The Heb. lacks <i>there</i><br /><span class="fnb">k</span> 20:31 The Heb. lacks <i>fell in battle there</i><br /><span class="fnb">l</span> 20:32 The Heb. lacks <i>told themselves</i><br /><span class="fnb">m</span> 20:37 The Heb. lacks <i>in force</i><br /><span class="fnb">n</span> 20:39 Lit. <i>Now they are defeated in front of us</i><br /><span class="fnb">o</span> 20:40 The Heb. lacks <i>in flames</i><br /><span class="fnb">p</span> 20:41 The Heb. lacks <i>back to face the army of Benjamin</i><br /><span class="fnb">q</span> 20:42 Lit. <i>them among them</i><br /><span class="fnb">r</span> 20:43 Lit. <i>near the rising of the sun</i><br /><span class="fnb">s</span> 20:48 The Heb. lacks <i>surviving</i><br /></span><br><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><div align="center"><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1<br />Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation<br />ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../judges/19.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Judges 19"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Judges 19" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../judges/21.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Judges 21"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Judges 21" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/judges/20-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><div align="center" style="background-color:#F2FAFF"><br /><br /><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="6710025936" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></td></tr></table></div><br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/botmenubhnm2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe><div align="center"><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span></div></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>