Глава 20

1–2. Meeting of the Israelite Society in Mizpah. 3–7. Interrogation of the injured Levite. 8–17. The community's decision regarding the punishment of the Benjaminites who did not want to hand over the criminal Givitites. 18–48. The internecine war of the 11 tribes against Benjamin and the defeat of the Benjaminites. Judges 20:1. And all the children of Israel went out, and the whole congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beersheba, and the land of Gilead before the Lord to Mizpah. Judges 20:2. And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, gathered together [before the Lord] into the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen, drawing sword. Outraged by the heinous crime of the Benjaminites, the Israelites of all tribes, except Benjamin, from the extreme north of Palestine (Dan) to the extreme south (Beersheba), as well as the Transjordan region (the tribes of Reubenim, Gad and half of Manasseh) gathered to Mizpah (cf. Joshua 18:26, now Tell Natsbe), from where it seemed convenient to provide or other impact on the inhabitants of Gibeah, which lay in the same tribe of Benjamin. The Benjaminites also became aware of this meeting. Judges 20:3. And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were come to Mizpah. And the children of Israel said: Tell me, how did this evil happen? Judges 20:4. The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said: I came with my concubine to spend the night in Gibeah Benjamin; Judges 20:5. and the inhabitants of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house because of me by night; they intended to kill me, and they tortured my concubine [by abusing her] so that she died; Judges 20:6. I took my concubine, cut her up, and sent her into all the regions of the dominion of Israel, for they had done a lawless and shameful thing in Israel; Judges 20:7. Behold, all of you children of Israel, consider this matter and decide here. Representatives of the society interrogated the injured Levite about the crime of the Gibitites. He told them both about this crime and about the sending of parts of the concubine’s corpse to the knees by himself, after which he asked them to pronounce the verdict and decision on this matter. Judges 20:8. And all the people rose up as one man and said, Let us not go, no one into his tent, nor let us return, any one to his own house; Judges 20:9. and this is what we will do today with Gibeah: [we will go] to it by lot; Judges 20:10. and let us take ten men out of a hundred from all the tribes of Israel, a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from each darkness, so that they bring food supplies for the people who will go against Gibeah of Benjamin, to punish her for the shameful deed that she did in Israel. Judges 20:11. And all the Israelites gathered against the city with one accord, as one man. Judges 20:12. And the tribes of Israel sent to all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What a vile deed has been done among you! Judges 20:13. Hand over these corrupt people who are in Gibeah; We will kill them and eradicate evil from Israel. But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers the children of Israel; Judges 20:14. and the children of Benjamin gathered together from the cities to Gibeah to go to war against the children of Israel. Judgment 20:15 . And the number of the children of Benjamin that day were gathered out of the cities, twenty-six thousand men, drawing the sword; Moreover, of the inhabitants of Gibeah there were counted seven hundred chosen ones; Judges 20:16. out of all this people there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, and all of these, throwing stones from slings at hair, did not throw them past. Judges 20:17. the Israelites, besides the sons of Benjamin, numbered four hundred thousand people who drew the sword; they were all capable of war. The community of Israelites, after hearing the Levite, unanimously decided to punish the Gibitites. But when it made such a proposal to the representatives of the tribe of Benjamin, they refused to carry out such a punishment. Judges 20:18. And they arose and went to the house of God, and inquired of God, and the children of Israel said, Which of us will go first to war against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said: Judah [will go] ahead. Judges 20:19. And the children of Israel arose in the morning, and pitched near Gibeah; Judgment 20:20. and the Israelites went out to war against Benjamin, and the children of Israel formed a battle array near Gibeah. Judges 20:21. And the children of Benjamin went out from Gibeah and laid down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the ground that day. Judges 20:22. But the people of Israel took courage, and again they formed a battle formation in the place where they stood on the previous day. Judges 20:23. And the children of Israel went and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked the Lord, “Shall I again enter into battle with the children of my brother Benjamin?” The Lord said: go against him. Judges 20:24. And the children of Israel came up to the children of Benjamin on the second day. Judges 20:25. Benjamin came out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and they also laid down eighteen thousand of the children of Israel on the ground, drawing sword. Instead of properly punishing the criminal Givitites, the Benjaminites themselves came to their defense, as a result of which an internecine war arose between the Benjaminites and the Israelites of the other 11 tribes. The Benjaminites were inferior to them in numbers, but superior in the art of shooting, so they were victorious in the first two battles. Judges 20:26. Then all the children of Israel and all the people went and came to the house of God, and sitting there they wept before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. Judges 20:27. And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord [at that time the ark of the covenant of God was there, Judges 20:28. and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before him]: Shall I go out again to battle with the sons of my brother Benjamin, or not? The Lord said: go; Tomorrow I will deliver him into your hands. Confused by two defeats, the Israelites gathered in Bethel, where the Ark of the Covenant was brought for a while, fasted for a whole day, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and through the high priest Phinehas (this event dates back to the beginning of the Judges) asked the Lord whether they should continue the war with the Benjaminites. The Lord, through the Urim and Thumim, told them to oppose the Benjaminites and promised to deliver them into the hands of the Israelites. Judges 20:29. And Israel laid an ambush around Gibeah. Judgment 20:30 . And the children of Israel went against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and stood in battle array before Gibeah, as before. Judg.20:31. The sons of Benjamin came out against the people and moved away from the city, and began, as before, to kill among the people on the roads, one of which goes to Bethel, and the other to Gibeah by the field, and killed up to thirty people from the Israelites. Judg.20:32. And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us as before. And the children of Israel said: Let us flee from them and draw them away from the city onto the roads. [And they did so.] Judges 20:33. And all the Israelites rose from their places and stood in line at Baal-Tamara. And the ambush of Israel rushed out from its place on the west side of Gibeah. Judg.20:34. And ten thousand chosen men from all Israel came before Gibeah, and a fierce battle began; but the sons of Benjamin did not know that trouble was coming for them. Judgment 20:35 . And the Lord smote Benjamin before the Israelites, and that day the Israelites laid down twenty-five thousand and one hundred men of the children of Benjamin who drew the sword. Judges 20:36. When the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated, then the Israelites gave way to the children of Benjamin, for they hoped for the ambush that they had set near Gibeah. Judges 20:37. The ambush hastened and rushed to Gibeah, and entered and struck the whole city with the sword. Judges 20:38. The Israelis laid an ambush with the agreed sign of an attack by rising smoke from the city. Judges 20:39. So, when the Israelites retreated from the place of battle, and Benjamin began to smite and overthrow the Israelites up to thirty people and said: “They fall again before us, as in the previous battles,” Judgment 20:40 . Then a column of smoke began to rise from the city. Benjamin looked back, and behold, smoke from the entire city was rising into the sky. Judges 20:41. The Israelites returned, and Benjamin became afraid, for he saw that trouble had befallen him. Judges 20:42. And they fled from the Israelites along the road to the desert; but the slaughter pursued them, and those coming out of the cities beat them there; Judgment 20:43 . They surrounded Benjamin and pursued him to Menuchah and struck him as far as the eastern side of Gibeah. Judges 20:44 . And eighteen thousand men of the children of Benjamin fell, mighty men. Judgment 20:45 . [The remaining] turned around and ran to the desert, to the rock of Rimmon, and another [Israelites] killed five thousand people on the roads; and they pursued them to Gidom and killed two thousand more of them. Judgment 20:46 . And all the sons of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword, and they were all mighty men. Judgment 20:47 . And [those who remained] turned and fled into the desert, to the rock of Rimmon, six hundred people, and remained there in the rocky mountain of Rimmon for four months. Judgment 20:48 . The Israelites went again to the children of Benjamin and struck them with the sword, and the people in the city, and the cattle, and everything that was found [in all the cities], and they burned all the cities that were on the way with fire. Having set up an ambush, the Israelites this time defeated the Benjaminites, exterminating from them all the male population capable of waging war, with the exception of 600 people who escaped in the desert, at the rock of Rimmon, located near Gibeah (also now Rimmun). The city of Gibeah itself, with the people and livestock in it, was burned. The place of Baal-Tamar mentioned in the description of the military actions of the Israelis can be identified with the one called Vetamar by Eusebius (Onomast. 238, 75), located near Gibeah and rich in palm trees. You might be interested in: