Shofetim 20

1. Then all the Bnei Yisroel came out, and HaEdah was gathered together as ish echad, from Dan even to Beer-Sheva, including Eretz HaGil`ad, unto Hashem at Mitzpah.

2. And the Pinot (Corner pillars, Leaders, Chiefs) kol HaAm, even of kol Shivtei Yisroel, presented themselves in the Kahal Am HaElohim, four hundred thousand foot soldiers armed with cherev.

3. (Now the Bnei Binyamin heard that the Bnei Yisroel were gone up to Mitzpah.) Then said the Bnei Yisroel, Tell us, how this ra’ah came to be?

4. And the Levi, the ish haisha that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Giv’ah that belongeth to Binyamin, I and my pilegesh, to lodge.

5. And the ba’alei haGiv’ah rose against me, and surrounded the bais upon me by lailah, and intended to have murdered me; and my pilegesh have they raped, that she is dead.

6. And I took my pilegesh, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout kol sedeh nachalat Yisroel; for they have committed zimmah (lewdness) and nevalah (wickedness, outrage, disgrace) in Yisroel.

7. Hinei, ye are all Bnei Yisroel; give here your advice and etzah (counsel, verdict).

8. And kol haAm arose as ish echad, saying, We will not any of us go to his ohel, neither will we any of us return into his bais.

9. But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Giv’ah; we will go up bigoral (by lot) against it;

10. And we will take ten anashim of a hundred throughout kol Shivtei Yisroel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to supply provisions for the troops, that they may do, when they come to Giv’ah of Binyamin, according to all the nevalah that they have wrought in Yisroel.

11. So kol ish Yisroel were gathered against the Ir, k’ish echad chaverim (comrades as one man, united as one).

12. And the Shivtei Yisroel sent anashim through all the shivtei Binyamin, saying, What ra’ah is this that is done among you?

13. Now therefore deliver us the anashim, the Bnei Beliyaal, which are in Giv’ah, that we may put them to death, and purge ra’ah from Yisroel. But the Bnei Binyamin would not pay heed to the voice of their achim the Bnei Yisroel.

14. But the Bnei Binyamin gathered themselves together out of the towns unto Giv’ah, to go out for milchamah against the Bnei Yisroel.

15. And the Bnei Binyamin mustered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men armed with cherev, beside the inhabitants of Giv’ah, which mustered seven hundred ish bachur (chosen men).

16. Among all this people there were seven hundred ish bachur every one could sling stones at the se’ar (the hair), and not miss.

17. And the ish Yisroel, apart from Binyamin, mustered 400,000 men armed with cherev; all these were ish milchamah.

18. And the Bnei Yisroel arose, and went up to Beit-El, and asked counsel of Elohim, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the milchamah against the Bnei Binyamin? And Hashem said, Yehudah shall go up first.

19. And the Bnei Yisroel rose up in the boker, and encamped against Giv’ah.

20. And the Ish Yisroel went out to battle against Binyamin; and the Ish Yisroel put themselves in array to fight against them at Giv’ah.

21. And the Bnei Binyamin came forth out of Giv’ah, and cut down to the ground that day in Yisroel twenty and two thousand men.

22. And the HaAm Ish Yisroel took courage, and formed their battle line again in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

23. (And the Bnei Yisroel went up and wept before Hashem until erev, and asked counsel of Hashem, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the Bnei Binyamin achi? And Hashem said, Go up against him.)

24. And the Bnei Yisroel came near against the Bnei Binyamin the second day.

25. And Binyamin went forth against them from Giv’ah the second day, and cut down to the ground of the Bnei Yisroel another eighteen thousand men; all these were armed with the cherev.

26. Then kol Bnei Yisroel, and kol haAm, went up, and came unto Beit-El, and wept, and sat there before Hashem, and did a tzom that day until erev, and offered olot and shelamim before Hashem.

27. And the Bnei Yisroel inquired of Hashem, (for the Aron Brit HaElohim was there in those days,

28. And Pinchas ben Eleazar ben Aharon stood ministering before it in those yamim,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the Bnei Binyamin achi, or shall I cease? And Hashem said, Go up; for makhar (tomorrow) I will deliver them into thine yad.

29. And Yisroel set an ambush in wait round about Giv’ah.

30. And the Bnei Yisroel went up against the Bnei Binyamin on the Yom HaShelishi, and put themselves in array against Giv’ah, as before.

31. And the Bnei Binyamin went out against HaAm, and were drawn away from the Ir; and they began to inflict casualties on HaAm, as at other times, in the sadeh and on the roads, of which one road goeth up to Beit-El, and the other road to Giv’ah, killing about sheloshim ish b’Yisroel.

32. And the Bnei Binyamin said, They are defeated before us, as at the first. But the Bnei Yisroel said, Let us retreat, and draw them from the Ir unto the roads.

33. And Kol Ish Yisroel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-Tamar; meanwhile the ones of Yisroel waiting in ambush came forth out of their places, at Ma’areh Geva.

34. And there came a frontal assault against Giv’ah by ten thousand ish bachur out of kol Yisroel, and the milchamah was fierce; but they [the Bnei Binyamin] had no da’as that for them ra’ah (evil, disaster) was near.

35. And Hashem defeated Binyamin before Yisroel; and the Bnei Yisroel struck down from Binyamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred ish, all these armed with cherev.

36. So the Bnei Binyamin saw that they were defeated; for the Ish Yisroel gave place before Binyamin, because they relied on the ones ambushing which they had positioned against Giv’ah.

37. And the ones ambushing hasted, and rushed upon Giv’ah; and the ones ambushing drew themselves along, and struck kol HaIr with the edge of the cherev.

38. Now there was a mo’ed (appointed agreement) between the Ish Yisroel and the ones ambushing, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the Ir.

39. And when the Ish Yisroel turned in the milchamah, Binyamin began to inflict casualties on the Ish Yisroel about sheloshim ish; for they said, Surely they are defeated before us, as in the milchamah harishonah.

40. But when the smoke cloud began to arise up out of the Ir with an ammud ashan (pillar of smoke), Binyamin looked behind them, and, hinei, the whole Ir ascended up in smoke to Shomayim.

41. And when the Ish Yisroel turned again, the Ish Binyamin were terrified; for they saw that ra’ah was come upon them.

42. Therefore they turned their backs before the Ish Yisroel unto the derech hamidbar; but the milchamah overtook them; and them which came out of the towns [of Binyamin] the ones [the Bnei Yisroel] cutting down him [Binyamin] in the midst of it.

43. Thus surrounding those of Binyamin, they chased them, and trampled them down with ease nokhach Giv’ah (straight before Giv’ah) toward the rising of the shemesh.

44. And there fell of Binyamin eighteen thousand ish; all these were anshei chayil.

45. And they turned and fled toward the midbar unto the Rock of Rimmon; and they cut down of them in the roads five thousand ish; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slaughtered two thousand ish of them.

46. So that all which fell that day of Binyamin were twenty and five thousand ish armed with cherev; all these were anshei chayil.

47. But six hundred ish turned and fled to the midbar unto the Rock of Rimmon, and abode unto the Rock of Rimmon four months.

48. And the Ish Yisroel turned back upon the Bnei Binyamin, and struck them with the edge of the cherev, including every town, the people, the behemah, and all that remained; also they burned with eish all the towns that they came to.