The Punishment of Benjamin

¹ All the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ went out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and they gathered as one body² to Yahweh at Mizpah.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Hebrew “man”

² And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand sword-bearing infantry.

³ (The descendants¹ of Benjamin heard that the ⌞Israelites⌟² had gone up to Mizpah.) And the ⌞Israelites⌟³ said, “Tell us, how did this evil act occur?”

1. Or “sons/children”
2. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
3. Literally “sons of Israel” or “children of “Israel”

⁴ The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.

⁵ The lords of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they raped my concubine, and she died.

⁶ Then I grabbed my concubine and cut her into pieces, and I sent her throughout all the territory of Israel’s inheritance; for they committed a shameful and disgraceful thing in Israel.

⁷ Look, all you ⌞Israelites⌟!¹ ⌞Make your decision⌟² and advice here.”

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Literally “give your word”

⁸ All the people got up as one body,¹ saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, or will any of us return to his house.

1. Hebrew “man”

⁹ So then, this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against her by lot.

¹⁰ We will take ten men of one hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of one thousand, and one thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions to the troops, to repay them when they come to Gibeah¹ of Benjamin for all the disgraceful things² they did in Israel.”

1. Hebrew “Geba”
2. Hebrew “thing”

¹¹ And all the men of Israel were gathered to the city as one body¹ united.

1. Hebrew “man”

¹² Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that happened among you?

¹³ So then, hand over the men, ⌞the perverse lot⌟,¹ who are in Gibeah, so that we may kill them and purge this wickedness from Israel.” But the descendants² of Benjamin were not willing to listen to the voice of their relatives,³ the ⌞Israelites⌟.⁴

1. Literally “sons of uselessness”
2. Or “sons/children”
3. Or “brothers”
4. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

¹⁴ And the descendants¹ of Benjamin were gathered from the cities to Gibeah to go out for battle against the ⌞Israelites⌟.²

1. Or “sons/children”
2. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

¹⁵ From the cities the descendants¹ of Benjamin were counted on that day twenty-six thousand ⌞sword-wielding men⌟,² besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were counted seven hundred well-trained³ men.

1. Or “sons/children”
2. Literally “men drawing sword”
3. Or “chosen”

¹⁶ From all these troops were seven hundred well-trained¹ men ⌞who were left-handed⌟;² each one could sling with a stone at a hair and not miss.

1. Or “choice/chosen”
2. Literally “bound by his right hand”

¹⁷ And the men of Israel besides Benjamin were counted four hundred thousand ⌞sword-wielding men⌟;¹ ⌞all were warriors⌟.²

1. Literally “men drawing sword”
2. Literally “all were men of war”

¹⁸ Then the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ got up and went up to Bethel, and they inquired of God, saying, “Who will go up first for the battle against the descendants² of Benjamin?” And Yahweh said, “Judah will go first.”

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Or “sons/children”

¹⁹ And the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ got up in the morning, and they encamped against Gibeah.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

²⁰ Then the men of Israel marched out for the battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel took up positions against them for battle at Gibeah.

²¹ The descendants¹ of Benjamin went out from Gibeah, and they struck down on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel to the ground.

1. Or “sons/children”

²² But the troops, the men of Israel, ⌞encouraged themselves⌟,¹ and again they arranged their battle lines in the place where they had arranged themselves the first day.

1. Literally “took heart”

²³ The ⌞Israelites⌟¹ went up and wept before Yahweh until evening and inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Should we again draw near from the battle against the descendants² of Benjamin, our relatives?”³ And Yahweh said, “Go up against them.”⁴

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Or “sons/children”
3. Hebrew “my brother”
4. Hebrew “him”

²⁴ And the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ drew near to the descendants² of Benjamin on the second day.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Or “sons/children”

²⁵ And Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day, and they struck down the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ again, eighteen thousand men to the ground; all of these were ⌞sword-wielding⌟.²

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Literally “drawers of sword”

²⁶ And all the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ and all the troops went up and came to Bethel and wept; and they sat there before Yahweh and fasted on that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

²⁷ And the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ inquired of Yahweh (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

²⁸ and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing ⌞before it⌟¹ to minister in those days), saying, “Should we go out once more to battle against the descendants² of Benjamin our relatives,³ or should we stop?” And Yahweh said, “Go up tomorrow; I will give them⁴ into your hand.”

1. Literally “before presence of it/him”
2. Or “sons/children”
3. Hebrew “my brother”
4. Hebrew “him”

²⁹ So Israel stationed an ambush all around Gibeah.

³⁰ And the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ went up against the descendants² of Benjamin on the third day, and they took up positions against Gibeah as before.

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Or “sons/children”

³¹ The descendants¹ of Benjamin went out to meet the troops, and they lured them away from the city and began to inflict casualties on the troops as before, on the main road, one of which goes up to Bethel, the other to Gibeah; and in the field there were about thirty men of Israel.

1. Or “sons/children”

³² And the descendants¹ of Benjamin thought,² “They are being defeated before us ⌞as previously⌟,”³ and the ⌞Israelites⌟⁴ said, “Let us flee and lure them⁵ away from the city to the main roads.”

1. Or “sons/children”
2. Or “said”
3. Literally “on the first”
4. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
5. Hebrew “him”

³³ And all the men of Israel got up from their places¹ and took up positions in Baal Tamar; and the ambush of Israel charged from their places,² from the vicinity of Gibeah.³

1. Hebrew “place”
2. Hebrew “place”
3. Hebrew “Geba”

³⁴ Then ten thousand well-trained¹ men from all Israel came out against Gibeah, and the battle became fierce;² they did not know that disaster was about to ⌞close in⌟³ on them.

1. Or “choice/chosen”
2. Or “the battle became heavy”
3. Literally “touching”

³⁵ And Yahweh defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ destroyed on that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them ⌞sword-wielding⌟.²

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Literally “drawing sword”

³⁶ The descendants¹ of Benjamin saw that they were defeated, and the men of Israel gave ground² to Benjamin because they trusted the ambush that they had set against Gibeah.

1. Or “sons/children”
2. Or “a place” or “space”

³⁷ And the ambush came quickly and advanced against Gibeah, and it ⌞put the whole city to the sword⌟.¹

1. Literally “struck the whole city with the mouth of the sword”

³⁸ Now the appointed time for the men of Israel with the ambush was that they sent up for them a great amount of smoke from the city.

³⁹ And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to inflict casualties on about thirty men of Israel because they thought,¹ “They will be completely defeated before us as in the first battle.”