Judges 20 (NET)

Judges 20:1¹All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba and from the land of Gilead left their homes and assembled together before the Lord at Mizpah.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:2²The leaders of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, which numbered 400,000 sword-wielding foot soldiers.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:3³The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said, “Explain how this wicked thing happened!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:4⁴The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up, “I and my concubine stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:5⁵The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:6⁶I took hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces throughout the territory occupied by Israel, because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity in Israel.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:7⁷All you Israelites, make a decision here!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:8⁸All Israel rose up in unison and said, “Not one of us will go home! Not one of us will return to his house!Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:9⁹Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:10¹⁰We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin, they will punish them for the atrocity that they committed in Israel.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:11¹¹So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:12¹²The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “How could such a wicked thing take place?Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:13¹³Now, hand over the good-for-nothings in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.” But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:14¹⁴The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah to make war against the Israelites.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:15¹⁵That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities 26,000 sword-wielding soldiers, besides 700 well-trained soldiers from Gibeah.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:16¹⁶Among this army were 700 specially trained left-handed soldiers. Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:17¹⁷The men of Israel (not counting Benjamin) had mustered 400,000 sword-wielding soldiers, every one an experienced warrior.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:18¹⁸The Israelites went up to Bethel and asked God, “Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?” The Lord said, “Judah should lead.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:19¹⁹The Israelites got up the next morning and moved against Gibeah.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:20²⁰The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they arranged their battle lines against Gibeah.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:21²¹The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down 22,000 Israelites that day.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:22²²The Israelite army took heart and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:23²³The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening. They asked the Lord, “Should we again march out to fight the Benjaminites, our brothers?” The Lord said, “Attack them.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:24²⁴So the Israelites marched toward the Benjaminites the next day.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:25²⁵The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down 18,000 sword-wielding Israelite soldiers.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:26²⁶So all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel. They wept and sat there before the Lord; they did not eat anything that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace to the Lord.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:27²⁷The Israelites asked the Lord (for the ark of God’s covenant was there in those days;Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:28²⁸Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving the Lord in those days), “Should we once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers, or should we quit?” The Lord said, “Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:29²⁹So Israel hid men in ambush outside Gibeah.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:30³⁰The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:31³¹The Benjaminites attacked the army, leaving the city unguarded. They began to strike down their enemy just as they had done before. On the main roads (one leads to Bethel, the other to Gibeah) and in the field, they struck down about thirty Israelites.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:32³²Then the Benjaminites said, “They are defeated just as before.” But the Israelites said, “Let’s retreat and lure them away from the city into the main roads.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:33³³All the men of Israel got up from their places and took their positions at Baal Tamar, while the Israelites hiding in ambush jumped out of their places west of Gibeah.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:34³⁴Then 10,000 men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, made a frontal assault against Gibeah; the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:35³⁵The Lord annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:36³⁶Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated. The Israelites retreated before Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hidden in ambush outside Gibeah.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:37³⁷The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash to Gibeah. They attacked and put the sword to the entire city.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:38³⁸The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush sent up a smoke signal from the city,Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:39³⁹the Israelites counterattacked. Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; they struck down about thirty men. They said, “There’s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:40⁴⁰But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:41⁴¹When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:42⁴²They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:43⁴³They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, and annihilated them all the way to a spot east of Geba.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:44⁴⁴So 18,000 Benjaminites, all of them capable warriors, fell dead.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:45⁴⁵The rest turned and ran toward the wilderness, heading toward the cliff of Rimmon. But the Israelites caught 5,000 of them on the main roads. They stayed right on their heels all the way to Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:46⁴⁶That day 25,000 sword-wielding Benjaminites fell in battle, all of them capable warriors.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:47⁴⁷But 600 survivors turned and ran away to the wilderness, to the cliff of Rimmon. They stayed there four months.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions

Judges 20:48⁴⁸The Israelites returned to the Benjaminite towns and put the sword to them. They wiped out the cities, the animals, and everything they could find. They set fire to every city in their path.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’sMany Bible Versions