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Listen to Judges 20:17-35
17Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.
18Then the children of Israel arose and (A)went up to [a]the house of God to (B)inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?”
The Lord said, (C)“Judah first!”
19So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah. 21Then (D)the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites. 22And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day. 23(E)Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, “Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?”
And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”
24So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day. 25And (F)Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.
26Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, (G)went up and came to [b]the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27So the children of Israel inquired of the Lord ((H)the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28(I)and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, (J)stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?”
And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
29Then Israel (K)set men in ambush all around Gibeah. 30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times. 31So the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways (L)(one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 32And the children of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, as at first.”
But the children of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.” 33So all the men of Israel rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israel’s men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba. 34And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. (M)But [c]the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them. 35The Lord [d]defeated Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed that day twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword.
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Footnotes
- Judges 20:18 Or Bethel
- Judges 20:26 Or Bethel
- Judges 20:34 Lit. they
- Judges 20:35 Lit. struck
Cross references
- Judges 20:18 : Judg. 20:23, 26
- Judges 20:18 : Num. 27:21
- Judges 20:18 : Judg. 1:1, 2
- Judges 20:21 : [Gen. 49:27]
- Judges 20:23 : Judg. 20:26, 27
- Judges 20:25 : Judg. 20:21
- Judges 20:26 : Judg. 20:18, 23; 21:2
- Judges 20:27 : Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 1:3; 3:3; 4:3, 4
- Judges 20:28 : Num. 25:7, 13; Josh. 24:33
- Judges 20:28 : Deut. 10:8; 18:5
- Judges 20:29 : Josh. 8:4
- Judges 20:31 : Judg. 21:19
- Judges 20:34 : Josh. 8:14; Job 21:13; Is. 47:11
17Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.
18The Israelites went up to Bethel[a](A) and inquired of God.(B) They said, “Who of us is to go up first(C) to fight(D) against the Benjamites?”
The Lord replied, “Judah(E) shall go first.”
19The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. 20The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. 21The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites(F) 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. 23The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord(G) until evening,(H) and they inquired of the Lord.(I) They said, “Shall we go up again to fight(J) against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”
The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”
24Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. 25This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites,(K) 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.(L) They fasted(M) that day until evening and presented burnt offerings(N) and fellowship offerings(O) to the Lord.(P) 27And the Israelites inquired of the Lord.(Q) (In those days the ark of the covenant of God(R) was there, 28with Phinehas son of Eleazar,(S) the son of Aaron, ministering before it.)(T) 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.(U)”
29Then Israel set an ambush(V) around Gibeah. 30They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. 31The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away(W) 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(X) and the other to Gibeah. 32While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,”(Y) the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to 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(Z) on the west[b] of Gibeah.[c] 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(AA) how near disaster was.(AB) 35The Lord defeated Benjamin(AC) before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.
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Footnotes
- Judges 20:18 Or to the house of God; also in verse 26
- Judges 20:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Judges 20:33 Hebrew Geba, a variant of Gibeah
Cross references
- Judges 20:18 : S Jos 12:9; S Jdg 18:31
- Judges 20:18 : S Jdg 18:5
- Judges 20:18 : S Jdg 1:1
- Judges 20:18 : ver 23, 28
- Judges 20:18 : S Ge 49:10
- Judges 20:21 : ver 25
- Judges 20:23 : S Nu 14:1
- Judges 20:23 : Jos 7:6
- Judges 20:23 : S Jdg 18:5
- Judges 20:23 : S ver 18
- Judges 20:25 : ver 21
- Judges 20:26 : S Nu 14:1
- Judges 20:26 : 2Sa 12:21
- Judges 20:26 : Lev 1:3
- Judges 20:26 : S Ex 32:6
- Judges 20:26 : Jdg 21:4
- Judges 20:27 : S Jdg 18:5
- Judges 20:27 : S Nu 10:33
- Judges 20:28 : Nu 25:7
- Judges 20:28 : Dt 18:5
- Judges 20:28 : S Jos 2:24
- Judges 20:29 : S Jos 8:2, 4
- Judges 20:31 : Jos 8:16
- Judges 20:31 : Jos 16:1
- Judges 20:32 : ver 39
- Judges 20:33 : Jos 8:19
- Judges 20:34 : Jos 8:14
- Judges 20:34 : ver 41
- Judges 20:35 : 1Sa 9:21
17And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.
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.
19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against 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.
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.
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.
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.)
24And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
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.
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.
27And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
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.
29And Israel set liers in wait round about 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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