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Judges

Describes a time when Israel was ruled by judges and the cycle of turning away from God, facing trouble, and then returning to Him.

Chapter 20

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1 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

*Then, all the Israelites left, and everyone came together as a single group. They were there, from Dan to Beersheba, including Gilead, at a place called Mizpeh, to meet with God.

2 And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

*The leader of all the people, from all the tribes of Israel, came to God's people gathering. With them were 400,000 fighters who could use swords.

3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

*The children of Benjamin learned that the Israelites had gone to Mizpeh. The Israelites asked them, "Tell us, what evil thing happened?"

4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

*The Levite, who was married to the murdered woman, replied, "I went to Gibeah, which is part of Benjamin, with my concubine to stay for the night."

5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

*The men from Gibeah attacked me and surrounded my house at night, trying to kill me. They also forced my servant girl, causing her to die.

6 And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

*So, I got my servant girl, cut her into pieces, and sent them all over Israel's land. They did bad things and made poor choices in the land given to Israel.

7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

*Look, everyone is part of the Israel family; share your ideas and suggestions here.

8 And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.

*Everyone got up together and said, "None of us will go back to our homes or houses."

9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;

*But now, this is what we will do to Gibeah - we will randomly choose a group to attack it.

10 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

*We will choose ten people from every hundred in all of Israel's tribes, and a hundred people from a thousand, and a thousand people from ten thousand, to get food for the people. They will do this when they arrive at Gibeah of Benjamin, as they have done foolishly in Israel before.

11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

*All the men from Israel came together to fight the city, acting like they were one person.

12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?

*The Israel tribes sent messengers to the Benjamin tribe asking about the bad thing happening there.

13 Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

*Now, so take away those bad people in Gibeah for us, so we can stop evil in Israel. But the people from Benjamin wouldn't listen to their other Israeli family members.

14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

*The kids from Benjamin came together from their towns to Gibeah, ready to fight against the kids of Israel.

15 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

*At that time, there were 26,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin who could fight, plus 700 strong fighters from Gibeah city.

16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

*Among the crowd, there were 700 left-handed skilled men who could accurately throw stones without missing by a hair's width.

17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

*The non-Benjamin Israelites had 400,000 armed men; they were all warriors.

18 And 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.

*The Israelite kids got up and went to God's house. They asked God for advice and inquired, "Who among us should fight the Battle against Benjamin's kids first?" God replied, "It should be Judah."

19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

*The Israelite kids got up early, set up camp, and faced Gibeah.

20 And 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.

*The Israeli men fought against Benjamin, arranging themselves for battle at Gibeah.

21 And 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.

*The children from Benjamin left Gibeah and killed 22,000 Israeli men that day.

22 And 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.

*The people, men of Israel, encouraged each other and reorganized their fighting lines at the same spot as 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.)

*The children of Israel cried in front of God until evening. They asked God if they should fight against their brother Benjamin's children again. God replied, "Yes, fight against them."

24 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.

*On the second day, the Israelite kids faced off against the Benjamin kids.

25 And 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.

*On the second day, Benjamin attacked the people from Gibeah, killing 18,000 more Israelites who had swords.

26 Then 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.

*Then, everyone from Israel and the people went to God's house, where they cried, sat down, and didn't eat all day until evening. They also burned offerings for God and offered peace offerings.

27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

*The Israelite kids asked the Lord for help because the special box representing God's agreement was with them at that time.

28 And 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.

*Phinehas, son of Eleazar and Aaron, questioned if he should keep fighting against his brother Benjamin's children or stop. The Lord told him to go forward because the next day He would give them into Phinehas' control.

29 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

*Israel placed hidden people all around the city of Gibeah to watch and wait.

30 And 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.

*On the third day, the Israelite kids faced off against the Benjamin kids near Gibeah, just like they had before.

31 And 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.

*The children of Benjamin attacked the people, moving away from the city. They started killing people on the roads, just like before. One road led to the God's house, and the other to Gibeah in the field. About 30 Israeli men were killed.

32 And 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.

*The children of Benjamin thought they had defeated their enemies like before. However, the children of Israel believed they should run away and lure the enemy out of the city into open areas.

33 And 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.

*All the men of Israel got up from where they were and arranged themselves at a place called Baaltamar. The hidden warriors of Israel also came out from their hiding spots, including the fields near Gibeah.

34 And 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.

*A large group of 10,000 strong warriors from Israel arrived to fight at Gibeah. The battle was intense, but they didn't realize danger was close by.

35 And 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.

*And the LORD allowed Benjamin to be defeated by Israel. On that day, the people of Israel killed 25,100 Benjamite men who were armed with swords.

36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

*The children of Benjamin noticed they were being defeated. The men of Israel moved back to let the Benjamites fight, because they believed the hidden attackers near Gibeah would help them.

37 And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

*The ambushers quickly attacked Gibeah, and the ambushers moved forward, killing everyone in the city with their swords' edges.

38 Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

*Now, there was a agreed signal between the Israelite men and the hidden watchers, so they would create a big fire with smoke rising from the city.

39 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

*When the Israelite soldiers retreated during the fight, Benjamin's fighters attacked and killed around 30 Israeli men. They thought, "They must be defeated again like in the previous battle."

40 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

*But when the fire started growing from the city as a cloud of smoke, the Benjamites turned around and saw the city's fire going up to the sky.

41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.

*When the Israelites changed direction, the Benjamites were surprised because they saw that something bad had happened to them.

42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

*So, they ran away from the Israelites towards the desert path. But the fight caught up with them, and they were defeated by those who came out of the cities.

43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

*So, they surrounded the people of Benjamin and pursued them, easily crushing them near Gibeah as the sun rose.

44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

*In the battle, 18,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin were defeated. All of them were brave warriors.

45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

*So, they ran away to a desert area near a mountain called Rimmon. People collected 5,000 of them from the roads. They chased them all the way to Gidom and killed 2,000 of them.

46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

*So, on that day, 25,000 men from Benjamin who could fight were defeated. All of them were brave.

47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

*But 600 guys ran away and hid at a big rock called Rimmon for four months.

48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

*The people of Israel attacked the children of Benjamin again, using swords. They killed both people and animals in every city they found. They also burned down all the cities they visited.

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