Shuphatym (Judges) — 20

Yashar'AL’s War with Banyamin 

1 Then all the Yasharalym were united as one man, from Dan in the north to Baarshaba in the south, including those from across the Yurdan in the land of Gilaad, the entire community assembled in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH at Mizpah. 

2 The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Yashar'AL four hundred thousand warriors armed with swords took their positions in the assembly of the people of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. 

3 Word soon reached the land of Banyamin that the other tribes had gone up to Mizpah. The Yasharalym then asked how this terrible crime had happened.

4 The Lauym, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, “My concubine and I came to spend the night in Gibaah, a town that belongs to the people of Banyamin. 

5 That night some of the leading citizens of Gibaah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead. 

6 So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the territory assigned to Yashar'AL, for these men have committed a terrible and shameful crime. 

7 Now then, all of you the entire community of Yashar'AL must decide here and now what should be done about this!”

8 And all the people rose together as one and they Adeclared, “None of us will return home! No, not even one of us! 

9 Instead, this is what we will do to Gibaah; we will draw lots to decide who will attack it. 

10 One-tenth of the men from each tribe will be chosen to supply the warriors with food, and the rest of us will take revenge on Gibaah of Banyamin for this shameful thing they have done in Yashar'AL.” 

11 So all the Yasharalym were completely united, and they gathered together to attack the town.

12 The Yasharalym sent messengers to the tribe of Banyamin, saying, “What a terrible thing has been done among you! 

13 Give up those evil men, those troublemakers from Gibaah, so we can execute them and purge Yashar'AL of this evil.” But the people of Banyamin would not listen. 

14 Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibaah to fight the Yasharalym. 

15 In all, twenty six thousand of their warriors armed with swords arrived in Gibaah to join the seven hundred elite troops who lived there. 

16 Among Banyamin’s elite troops, seven hundred were left-handed, and each of them could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairsbreadth without missing. 

17 Yashar'AL had four hundred thousand experienced soldiers armed with swords, not counting Banyamin’s warriors.

18 Before the battle the Yasharalym went to Bathal and asked 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, “Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Banyamin?” 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH answered, “Yahudah is to go first.”

19 So the Yasharalym left early the next morning and camped near Gibaah. 

20 Then they advanced toward Gibaah to attack the men of Banyamin. 

21 But Banyamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed twenty two thousand Yasharalym on the battlefield that day.

22 But the Yasharalym encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day. 

23 For they had gone up to Bathal and wept in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH until evening. They had asked 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, “Should we fight against our relatives from Banyamin again?” And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar, “Go out and fight against them.”

24 So the next day they went out again to fight against the men of Banyamin, 

25 but the men of Banyamin killed another eighteen thousand Yasharalym, all of whom were experienced with the sword.

26 Then all the Yasharalym went up to Bathal and wept in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  and fasted until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and peace offerings to  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. 

27 The Yasharalym went up seeking direction from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. (In those days the Ark of the Covenant of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH was in Bathal, 

28 and Phinehas son of Alaazar and grandson of Aarun was the Kuhan.) The Yasharalym asked 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, “Should we fight against our relatives from Banyamin again, or should we stop? 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar, “Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

29 So the Yasharalym set an ambush all around Gibaah. 

30 They went out on the third day and took their positions at the same place as before. 

31 When the men of Banyamin came out to attack, they were drawn away from the town. And as they had done before, they began to kill the Yasharalym. About thirty Yasharalym died in the open fields and along the roads, one leading to Bathal and the other leading back to Gibaah.

32 Then the warriors of Banyamin shouted, “We are defeating them as we did before!” But the Yasharalym had planned in advance to run away so that the men of Banyamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn away from the town.

33 When the main group of Yasharalym warriors reached Baal-tamar, they turned and took up their positions. Meanwhile, the Yasharalym hiding in ambush to the west of Gibaah jumped up to fight. 

34 There were ten thousand elite Yasharalym troops who advanced against Gibaah. The fighting was so heavy that Banyamin didn’t realize the impending disaster. 

35 So 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH helped Yashar'AL defeat Banyamin, and that day the Yasharalym killed 25,100 of Banyamin’s warriors, all of whom were experienced swordsmen. 

36 Then the men of Banyamin saw that they were beaten. The Yasharalym had retreated from Banyamin’s warriors in order to give those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver against Gibaah. 

37 Then those who were hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the town. 

38 They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town as a signal. 

39 When the Yasharalym saw the smoke, they turned and attacked Banyamin’s warriors. By that time Banyamin’s warriors had killed about thirty Yasharalym, and they shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did in the first battle!” 

40 But when the warriors of Banyamin looked behind them and saw the smoke rising into the sky from every part of the town, 

41 the men of Yashar'AL turned and attacked. At this point the men of Banyamin became terrified, because they realized disaster was close at hand. 

42 So they turned around and fled before the Yasharalym toward the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle, and the people who came out of the nearby towns were also killed. 

43 The Yasharalym surrounded the men of Banyamin and chased them relentlessly, finally overtaking them east of Gibaah. 

44 That day eighteen thousand of Banyamin’s strongest warriors died in battle. 

45 The survivors fled into the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmun, but Yashar'AL killed five thousand of them along the road. They continued the chase until they had killed another two thousand near Gidum.

46 So that day the tribe of Banyamin lost twenty five strong warriors armed with swords,

47 leaving only six hundred men who escaped to the rock of Rimmun, where they lived for four months. 

48 And the Yasharalym returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns, the people, the livestock, and everything they found. They also burned down all the towns they came to.