Judges 20:22-48 ▼

22 But the Israelite (he wrestles with God) army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day.

23 They (he wrestles with God) went up and wept before the LORD {YHWH} until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites (son of the right hand)?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”

24 On the second day the Israelites (God prevails) advanced against the Benjamites (son of the right hand).

25 That same day the Benjamites (son of the right hand) came out against them from Gibeah (hill) and cut down another 18,000 Israelites (God prevails), all of them armed with swords.

26 Then the Israelites (God prevails), all the people, went up to Bethel (house of God), where they sat weeping before the LORD {YHWH}. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.

27 And the Israelites (God prevails) inquired of the LORD {YHWH}. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God {Elohim} was there,

28 and Phinehas (mouth of brass) son of Eleazar (God has helped), the son of Aaron (light bringer), served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites (son of the right hand), or should we stop?” The LORD {YHWH} answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

29 So Israel (he wrestles with God) set up an ambush around Gibeah (hill).

30 On the third day the Israelites (God prevails) went up against the Benjamites (son of the right hand) and arrayed themselves against Gibeah (hill) as they had done before.

31 The Benjamites (son of the right hand) came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel (he wrestles with God) in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel (house of God) and the other to Gibeah (hill).

32 “We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites (son of the right hand). But the Israelites (God prevails) said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”

33 So all the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar (lord of the palms), and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah [charged from their positions in Maareh-geba].

34 Then 10,000 select men from all Israel (he wrestles with God) made a frontal assault against Gibeah (hill), and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them.

35 The LORD {YHWH} defeated Benjamin (son of the right hand) in the presence of Israel (he wrestles with God), and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.

36 Then the Benjamites (son of the right hand) realized they had been defeated. Now the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah (hill).

37 The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah (hill); they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.

38 The men of Israel (he wrestles with God) had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,

39 the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites (son of the right hand) had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.”

40 But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites (son of the right hand) looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.

41 Then the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin (son of the right hand) were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them.

42 So they fled before the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there.

43 They surrounded the Benjamites (son of the right hand), pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah (hill) on the east.

44 And 18,000 Benjamites (son of the right hand) fell, all men of valor.

45 Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon (pomegranate), and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom (a cutting down) and struck down 2,000 more.

46 That day 25,000 Benjamite (son of the right hand) swordsmen fell, all men of valor.

47 But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon (pomegranate), where they stayed four months.

48 And the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) turned back against the other Benjamites (son of the right hand) and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.