Judges 20:16-26 in English

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

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

¹⁸ And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah shall go up first.

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

²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men.

²² And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ And the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even; and they asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.

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

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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before Jehovah, and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.

¹⁶ all these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.

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

¹⁸ And they arose and went up to Bæthel, and enquired of God: and the children of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first to fight with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Juda shall go up first as leader.

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

²⁰ And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and engaged with them at Gabaa.

²¹ And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gabaa, and they destroyed in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men down to the ground.

²² And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day.

²³ And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord till evening, and enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw nigh to battle with our brethren the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up against them.

²⁴ And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin on the second day.

²⁵ And the children of Benjamin went forth to meet them from Gabaa on the second day, and destroyed of the children of Israel yet further eighteen thousand men down to the ground: all these drew sword.

²⁶ And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bæthel; and they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on that day until evening, and offered whole-burnt-offerings and perfect sacrifices, before the Lord,

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.)

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.)

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

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.

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.

¹⁶ All these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.

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

¹⁸ And they arose and went up to Baethel, and enquired of God: and the children of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first to fight with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Juda shall go up first as leader.

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

²⁰ And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and engaged with them at Gabaa.

²¹ And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gabaa, and they destroyed in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men down to the ground.

²² And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day.

²³ And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord till evening, and enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw near to battle with our brethren the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up against them.

²⁴ And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin on the second day.

²⁵ And the children of Benjamin went forth to meet them from Gabaa on the second day, and destroyed of the children of Israel yet further eighteen thousand men down to the ground: all these drew sword.

²⁶ And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Baethel; and they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on that day until evening, and offered whole burnt offerings and perfect sacrifices, before the Lord,

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

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

¹⁸ And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.

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

²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men.

²² And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even; and they asked of the LORD, saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

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

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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁶ From all those soldiers there were 700 men who were left-handed, and each of them could sling a stone at a target that was very small and as narrow as a hair, and the stone always hit the target!

¹⁷ There were 400,000 men from the other Israeli tribes who had swords.

¹⁸ Those other Israelis went up to Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should be the first to attack the men from the tribe of Benjamin?” Yahweh answered, “ The men from the tribe of Judah should go first.”

¹⁹ The next morning, the Israeli men went and set up their tents near Gibeah.

²⁰ Then they went to fight against the men from the tribe of Benjamin, and stood in their positions for fighting a battle, facing Gibeah.

²¹ The men of the tribe of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and fought against them, and they killed 22,000 Israeli men on that day.

²² Late that afternoon, the remaining Israeli men went to the place of worship and cried until the sun set. Then they asked Yahweh, “Should we attack the men of the tribe of Benjamin again, even though they are our fellow Israelis?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, attack them again.” So the Israeli men encouraged each other.

²⁴ The next day they again stood in their positions for fighting, just like they had done on the previous day.

²⁵ The men of the tribe of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and attacked the Israelis, and killed 18,000 more of their men.

²⁶ In the afternoon, all the people of Israel who had not been killed again went to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to Yahweh, and they ◄fasted/abstained from eating food► until it was evening. They brought some offerings which they burned completely on the altar, and they also brought some offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh.

¹⁶ All these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.

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

¹⁸ And they arose and went up to Baethel, and enquired of God: and the children of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first to fight with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Juda shall go up first as leader.

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

²⁰ And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and engaged with them at Gabaa.

²¹ And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gabaa, and they destroyed in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men down to the ground.

²² And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day.

²³ And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord till evening, and enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw near to battle with our brethren the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up against them.

²⁴ And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin on the second day.

²⁵ And the children of Benjamin went forth to meet them from Gabaa on the second day, and destroyed of the children of Israel yet further eighteen thousand men down to the ground: all these drew sword.

²⁶ And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Baethel; and they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on that day until evening, and offered whole burnt offerings and perfect sacrifices, before the Lord,

¹⁶ Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war.

¹⁸ The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” Yahweh said, “Judah first.”

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

²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground.

²² The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ The children of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until evening; and they asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” Yahweh said, “Go up against him.”

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

²⁵ Benjamin went out 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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

¹⁶ Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war.

¹⁸ The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” Yahweh said, “Judah first.”

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

²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground.

²² The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ The children of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until evening; and they asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” Yahweh said, “Go up against him.”

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

²⁵ Benjamin went out 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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

¹⁶ Amongst all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war.

¹⁸ The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first.”

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

²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground.

²² The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening; and they asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” The LORD said, “Go up against him.”

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

²⁵ Benjamin went out 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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁶ Who were left-handed, able to send a stone at a hair without error.

¹⁷ And the men of Israel, other than Benjamin, were four hundred thousand in number, all armed with swords; they were all men of war.

¹⁸ And they got up and went up to Beth-el to get directions from God, and the children of Israel said, Who is to be the first to go up to the fight against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah is to go up first.

¹⁹ So the children of Israel got up in the morning and put themselves in position against Gibeah.

²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to war against Benjamin (and the men of Israel put their forces in fighting order against them at Gibeah).

²¹ Then the children of Benjamin came out from Gibeah, cutting down twenty-two thousand of the Israelites that day.

²² But the people, the men of Israel, taking heart again, put their forces in order and took up the same position as on the first day.

²³ Now the children of Israel went up, weeping before the Lord till evening, requesting the Lord and saying, Am I to go forward again to the fight against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.

²⁴ So the children of Israel went forward against the children of Benjamin the second day.

²⁵ And the second day Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah, cutting down eighteen thousand men of the children of Israel, all swordsmen.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up to Beth-el, weeping and waiting there before the Lord, going without food all day till evening, and offering burned offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord.

¹⁶ Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; all these slang stones at a hair breadth, and missed not.

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

¹⁸ And the children of Israel arose and went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah first.

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

²¹ And the children of Benjamin went forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty-two thousand men.

²² And the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and set the battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

²³ And the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even, and inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.

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

²⁵ And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and again destroyed to the ground of the children of Israel eighteen thousand men: all these drew the sword.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up and came to Bethel, and wept, and abode there before Jehovah, and fasted that day until even, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.

¹⁶ Who were seven hundred most valiant men, fighting with the left hand as well as with the right: and slinging stones so sure that they could hit even a hair, and not miss by the stone’s going on either side.

¹⁷ Of the men of Israel also, beside the children of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand that drew swords, and were prepared to fight.

¹⁸ And they arose and came to the house of God, that is, to Silo: and they consulted God, and said: Who shall be in our army the first to go to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord answered them: Let Juda be your leader.

¹⁹ And forthwith the children of Israel rising in the morning, camped by Gabaa:

²⁰ And going out from thence to fight against Benjamin, began to assault the city.

²¹ And the children of Benjamin coming out of Gabaa, slew of the children of Israel that day two and twenty thousand men.

²² Again Israel trusting in their strength and their number, set their army in array in the same place, where they had fought before:

²³ Yet so that they first went up and wept before the Lord until night: and consulted him, and said: Shall I go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin my brethren, or not? And he answered them: Go up against them, and join battle.

²⁴ And when the children of Israel went out the next day to fight against the children of Benjamin,

²⁵ The children of Benjamin sallied forth out of the gates of Gabaa: and meeting them made so great a slaughter of them, as to kill eighteen thousand men that drew the sword.

²⁶ Wherefore all the children of Israel came to the house of God, and sat and wept before the Lord: and they fasted that day till the evening, and offered to him holocausts, and victims of peace offerings,

¹⁶ Making up part of this army were seven hundred experienced soldiers who used their left hands. All of them could fire a slingshot and not miss by even a hair's breadth.

¹⁷ The Israelite army (excluding Benjamin) numbered four hundred thousand seasoned warriors, all armed with swords.

¹⁸ The Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, “Which ones of us should be the first to go and fight the Benjamites?” “Judah is to go first,” the Lord replied.

¹⁹ The next morning the Israelites left and set up their camp near Gibeah.

²⁰ Then they marched out for battle with the army of Benjamin, taking up their positions to attack Gibeah.

²¹ But the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.

²² But the Israelites encouraged one other to be confident, and they took up the same positions they had on the first day.

²³ The Israelites went and cried before the Lord until the evening and asked, “Should we go and attack the Benjamites again, our relatives?” “Go and attack them,” the Lord replied.

²⁴ So the second day they advanced to attack the army of Benjamin.

²⁵ However, Benjamites came out of Gibeah once more and slaughtered eighteen thousand Israelites, all armed with swords.

²⁶ Then all the Israelites and all their army went to Bethel, and sat crying there before the Lord. That day they fasted until evening and gave burnt offerings and friendship offerings to the Lord.

¹⁶ Of all this people were seuen hundreth chosen men, being left handed: all these could sling stones at an heare breadth, and not faile.

¹⁷ Also the men of Israel, beside Beniamin, were nombred foure hundreth thousande men that drew sword, euen all men of warre.

¹⁸ And the children of Israel arose, and went vp to the house of God, and asked of God, saying, Which of vs shall goe vp first to fight against the children of Beniamin? And the Lord said, Iudah shalbe first.

¹⁹ Then the children of Israel arose vp earely and camped against Gibeah.

²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to battell against Beniamin, and the men of Israel put themselues in aray to fight against the beside Gibeah.

²¹ And the children of Beniamin came out of Gibeah, and slewe downe to the ground of the Israelites that day two and twentie thousand men.

²² And the people, the men of Israel plucked vp their hearts, and set their battel againe in aray in the place where they put them in aray the first day.

²³ (For the children of Israel had gone vp and wept before the Lord vnto the euening, and had asked of the Lord, saying, Shall I goe againe to battel against the children of Beniamin my brethren? and the Lord said, Go vp against them)

²⁴ Then the children of Israel came neere against the children of Beniamin the second day.

²⁵ Also the second day Beniamin came forth to meete them out of Gibeah, and slewe downe to the grounde of the children of Israel againe eighteene thousand men: all they could handle the sword.

²⁶ Then al the children of Israel went vp and all the people came also vnto the house of God, and wept and sate there before the Lord and fasted that day vnto the euening, and offred burnt offrings and peace offrings before the Lord.

¹⁶ All this people, even seven hundred chosen men, were left-handed; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.

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

¹⁸ And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and they said: 'Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?' And the LORD said: 'Judah first.'

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

²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men.

²² And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even; and they asked of the LORD, saying: 'Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?' And the LORD said: 'Go up against him.'

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

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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the LORD.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.)

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

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.

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.

¹⁶ Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lame in the right hand: every one of these could sling a stone at a hair, and would not miss.

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

¹⁸ And they arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and the children of Israel said, Who of us shall go up at first to the battle with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah, at first.

¹⁹ And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gib'ah.

²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to battle with Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in battle-array against them by Gib'ah.

²¹ And the Children of Benjamin came forth out of Gib'ah, and struck down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men.

²² And the people the men of Israel took courage, and set themselves again in battle-array in the place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day.

²³ And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I again approach to battle with the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.

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

²⁵ And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gib'ah on the second day, and struck down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men: all these were men that drew the sword.

²⁶ Now all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted on that day until the evening, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord.

¹⁶ all these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.

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

¹⁸ And they arose and went up to Bethel, and inquired of God: and the children of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first to fight with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first as leader.

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

²⁰ And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and engaged with them at Gibeah.

²¹ And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gibeah, and they destroyed in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men down to the ground.

²² And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day.

²³ And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord till evening, and inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw nigh to battle with our brethren the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up against them.

²⁴ And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin on the second day.

²⁵ And the children of Benjamin went forth to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and destroyed of the children of Israel yet further eighteen thousand men down to the ground: all these drew sword.

²⁶ And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel; and they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on that day until evening, and offered whole burnt offerings and perfect sacrifices, before the Lord,

¹⁶ Among all these soldiers were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Each of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The people of Israel, not counting the number from Benjamin, numbered 400,000 men, who were trained to fight with the sword. All of these were men of war.

¹⁸ The people of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked for advice from God. They asked, “Who first will attack the people of Benjamin for us?” Yahweh said, “Judah will attack first.”

¹⁹ The people of Israel got up in the morning and they moved their camp near Gibeah.

²⁰ The people of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin. They set up their battle positions against them at Gibeah.

²¹ The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and they killed twenty-two thousand men of the army of Israel on that day.

²² But the people of Israel strengthened themselves and they formed the battle line in the same place where they had taken positions on the first day.

²³ Then the people of Israel went up and they wept before Yahweh until evening, and they sought direction from Yahweh. They said, “Should we go again to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” Yahweh said, “Attack them!”

²⁴ So the people of Israel went against the soldiers of Benjamin the second day.

²⁵ On the second day, Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah and they killed eighteen thousand men from the people of Israel. All were men who trained to fight with the sword.

²⁶ Then all the soldiers of Israel and all the people went up to Bethel and wept, and there they sat before Yahweh and they fasted that day until the evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

¹⁶ Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war.

¹⁸ The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” Yahweh said, “Judah first.”

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

²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground.

²² The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ The children of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until evening; and they asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” Yahweh said, “Go up against him.”

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

²⁵ Benjamin went out 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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

¹⁶ Amongst all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war.

¹⁸ The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first.”

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

²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground.

²² The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening; and they asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” The LORD said, “Go up against him.”

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

²⁵ Benjamin went out 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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁶ Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; every one could sling stones to a hair -breadth , and not miss.

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

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.

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

²¹ And the children of Benjamin came forth from Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.

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.

²³ (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, 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.)

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

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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came to the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the LORD.

¹⁶ Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war.

¹⁸ The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first.”

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

²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground.

²² The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening; and they asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” The LORD said, “Go up against him.”

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

²⁵ Benjamin went out 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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁶ Amongst all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war.

¹⁸ The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first.”

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

²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.

²¹ The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground.

²² The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

²³ The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening; and they asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” The LORD said, “Go up against him.”

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

²⁵ Benjamin went out 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.

²⁶ Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁶ fighting so with the left hand as with the right hand, and casting so stones with slings at a certain thing, that they might smite also an hair, and the stroke of the stone should not be borne away into the tother part.

¹⁷ Also of the men of Israel, without the sons of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand drawing out sword, and ready to battle.

¹⁸ Which rose, and came into the house of God, that is in Shiloh; and they counselled with God, and said, Who shall be prince in our host of the battle against the sons of Benjamin? To whom the Lord answered, Judah be your duke.

¹⁹ And anon the sons of Israel rose early, and setted tents against Gibeah.

²⁰ And from thence they went out to battle against Benjamin, and Israel began to fight against Gibeah.

²¹ And the sons of Benjamin went out of Gibeah, and killed of the sons of Israel in that day two and twenty thousand men.

²² And again, the sons of Israel trusted in their own strength, and in number of people, and they dressed the battle array, in the same place in which they fought before;

²³ so nevertheless that they went up before to the house of God, and they wept before the Lord unto the night, and they counselled with him, and said, Shall I go forth more to fight against the sons of Benjamin, my brethren, either nay? To whom he answered, Ascend ye or Goeth up to them, and begin ye the battle.

²⁴ And when the sons of Israel had gone forth to battle in the tother day against Benjamin,

²⁵ the sons of Benjamin brake out from the gates of Gibeah, and came to Israel; and the sons of Benjamin were wild against Israel by so fierce slaying, that they threw down eighteen thousand men of Israel drawing out sword.

²⁶ Wherefore all the sons of Israel came into the house of God, and they sat, and wept before the Lord, and they fasted in that day unto the eventide; and they offered to the Lord burnt sacrifices, and peaceable sacrifices,

¹⁶ fighting so with the left hand as with the right hand, and casting so stones with slings at a certain thing, that they might smite also an hair, and the stroke of the stone should not be borne away into the tother part. (fighting with their left hand like with their right hand, and throwing stones with slings with such certainty, that they could strike a hair, and yet the stroke of the stone would never be borne aside into some other place.)

¹⁷ Also of the men of Israel, without the sons of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand drawing out sword, and ready to battle. (And the Israelites, without the Benjaminites, were four hundred thousand men drawing out swords, and ready for battle.)

¹⁸ Which rose, and came into the house of God, that is in Shiloh; and they counselled with God, and said, Who shall be prince in our host of the battle against the sons of Benjamin? To whom the Lord answered, Judah be your duke. (And they rose up, and came into the House of God, that was in Bethel; and they counselled with God, and said, Who should be the leader of our army in the battle against the Benjaminites? To whom the Lord answered, Judah should be your leader.)

¹⁹ And anon the sons of Israel rose early, and setted tents against Gibeah. (And so early in the morning the Israelites rose up, and then pitched their tents opposite Gibeah.)

²⁰ And from thence they went out to battle against Benjamin, and Israel began to fight against Gibeah.

²¹ And the sons of Benjamin went out of Gibeah, and killed of the sons of Israel in that day two and twenty thousand men.

²² And again (the next day), the sons of Israel trusted in their own strength, and in (the) number of (their) people, and they dressed the battle array, in the same place in which they (had) fought before;

²³ so nevertheless that they went up before to the house (of God), and they wept before the Lord unto the night, and they counselled with him, and said, Shall I go forth more to fight against the sons of Benjamin, my brethren, either nay? To whom he answered, Ascend ye to them, and begin ye the battle. (for they had gone up the evening before to the House of God, and they had wept before the Lord into the night, and had counselled with him, and had said, Should we go forth again to fight against our kinsmen, the Benjaminites, or not? To whom he answered, Go ye up to them, and make ye the battle.)

²⁴ And (so) when the sons of Israel had gone forth to battle in the tother day against Benjamin,

²⁵ the sons of Benjamin brake out from the gates of Gibeah, and came to (the sons of) Israel; and the sons of Benjamin were wild against Israel by so fierce slaying (or and the Benjaminites were so wild against the Israelites with such fierce slaughter), that they threw down eighteen thousand men of Israel drawing out (the) sword.

²⁶ Wherefore all the sons of Israel came (again) into the house of God, and they sat, and wept before the Lord, and they fasted in that day unto the eventide; and they offered to the Lord burnt sacrifices, and peaceable sacrifices, (or and they offered to the Lord burnt sacrifices, and peace offerings),

¹⁶ among all this people are seven hundred chosen men, bound of their right hand, each of these slinging with a stone at the hair, and he doth not err.

¹⁷ And the men of Israel numbered themselves, apart from Benjamin, four hundred thousand men, drawing sword, each of these a man of war.

¹⁸ And they rise and go up to Beth-El, and ask of God, and the sons of Israel say, 'Who doth go up for us at the commencement to battle with the sons of Benjamin?' and Jehovah saith, 'Judah — at the commencement.'

¹⁹ And the sons of Israel rise in the morning, and encamp against Gibeah,

²⁰ and the men of Israel go out to battle with Benjamin, and the men of Israel set themselves in array with them, for battle against Gibeah,

²¹ and the sons of Benjamin come out from Gibeah, and destroy in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men — to the earth.

²² And the people, the men of Israel, strengthen themselves, and add to set the battle in array in the place where they arranged themselves on the first day.

²³ And the sons of Israel go up and weep before Jehovah till the evening, and ask of Jehovah, saying, 'Do I add to draw nigh to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother?' And Jehovah saith, 'Go up against him.'

²⁴ And the sons of Israel draw near unto the sons of Benjamin on the second day,

²⁵ and Benjamin cometh out to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and destroy among the sons of Israel again eighteen thousand men — to the earth; all these are drawing sword.

²⁶ And all the sons of Israel go up, even all the people, and come in to Beth-El, and weep, and sit there before Jehovah, and fast on that day till the evening, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.