Richter 20 | King James Version

1 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

2 And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us , how was this wickedness?

4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

6 And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

8 And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.

9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;

10 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?

13 Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

15 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

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.

27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

29 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

30 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

32 And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.

33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.

34 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.

35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

37 And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

38 Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

39 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

40 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.

42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

King James Bible (1769). Public Domain. Please note the following exceptions for use and publication in the United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press

Nya Levande Bibeln

Israel anfaller Benjamins stam

1 Israel sände då sina ledare och 400.000 beväpnade män till Mispa, där de trädde fram inför Herren. De kom så långt ifrån som Dan och Beer-Seba och alla platser däremellan, och även från Gilead på andra sidan Jordan.

3 Ryktet om mobiliseringen av de israelitiska trupperna nådde snart Benjamin. De ledande männen i Israel skickade då efter den mördade kvinnans man och bad honom berätta vad som hade hänt.

4 "Det var sent när vi kom fram till Gibea, en by i Benjamin", började han.

5 "Samma kväll kom män från staden och omringade huset. Mig tänkte de döda, och min bihustru våldtog de tills hon dog.

6 Då styckade jag hennes döda kropp i tolv delar, som jag sände ut över hela landet, för dessa män hade begått ett fruktansvärt brott.

7 Nu vill jag höra er dom."

8 De svarade alla som en man: "Ingen av oss tänker vända om hem, förrän vi har straffat Gibea. En tiondel av armén ska genom lottdragning väljas ut med uppgift att förse oss med proviant. Resten ska förinta Gibea som straff för deras hemska brott."

11 Hela nationen förenades alltså inför uppgiften.

12 Man skickade budbärare till Benjamins stam och ställde krav: "Ni är skyldiga till ett oerhört brott!

13 Utlämna dessa onda män från er stad Gibea, så att vi kan avrätta dem och rena Israel från all ondska." Men folket i Benjamin ville inte höra på sina bröder.

14 I stället lyckades man samla 26.000 man till Gibea för att förena sig med de sju hundra som redan fanns där och försvara sig.

16 Bland dessa fanns det 700 vänsterhänta, som var mycket skickliga i att träffa med sina slungstenar.

17 Det övriga Israel, utom Benjamins stam, mönstrade 400.000 man.

18 Före striden drog de israelitiska trupperna upp till Betel för att rådfråga Herren. "Vilken stam ska anföra oss i striden mot Benjamins folk?" frågade de."Juda ska gå först", svarade Herren.

19 Tidigt nästa morgon tågade hela armén mot Gibea för att anfalla Benjamins män.

21 Men männen som försvarade staden rusade ut och dödade under den dagen 22.000 israeliter.

22 Då grät den israelitiska hären inför Herren ända till skymningen, och de frågade honom snyftande: "Ska vi fortsätta att strida mot vår bror Benjamin?""Ja!" svarade Herren. Då fick den israelitiska armén nytt mod och drog följande dag ut till strid på samma plats som tidigare,

25 och den dagen förlorade de ytterligare 18.000 man, allesammans beväpnade med svärd.

26 Då drog hela armén upp till Betel och grät inför Herren och fastade till kvällen och offrade brännoffer och tackoffer.

27 Guds ark fanns där på den tiden, och Pinehas, Eleasars son och Arons sonson, var präst. Israels män frågade Herren: "Ska vi gå ut igen och strida mot vår bror Benjamin?" Herren svarade: "Ja gör det. Jag ska se till att ni besegrar honom."

29 Då lade sig Israels soldater i bakhåll runt Gibea

30 och gick sedan än en gång ut och gjorde sig i ordning för strid.

31 När Benjamins trupper kom ut ur staden för att gå till anfall, drog sig Israels armé tillbaka, och Benjamins män lurades bort från staden när de förföljde Israel. Då började Benjamin precis som tidigare att angripa fiender utmed vägen mellan Betel och Gibea, och lyckades döda ett trettiotal av dem.

32 Då ropade man i Benjamins armé: "Vi besegrar dem igen! " Men de israelitiska soldaterna hade i förväg gjort upp att de skulle försöka få bort Benjamins armé från staden,

33 och när sedan Israels armé hade hunnit till Baal-Tamar vände den tillbaka och gick till anfall, och de 10.000 män som fanns i bakhåll rusade fram och gick

34 också till anfall, utan att Benjamin förstod hur stor faran för nederlag i själva verket var.

35 Herren hjälpte Israel att besegra Benjamin, och Israels armé dödade 25.100 man i Benjamin den dagen, nästan hela deras armé. Israels män drog sig alltså tillbaka från Benjamin för att ge dem som låg i bakhåll större möjlighet att manövrera. När benjaminiterna hade dödat omkring trettio stycken av Israels män var de övertygade om att de skulle vinna en lika stor seger som tidigare. Men den styrka som låg i bakhåll rusade in i staden, dödade alla som fanns där och tände eld på staden, och det stora rökmoln som steg mot himlen var signalen för Israel att gå till anfall mot Benjamin.

40 Dessa vände sig om och upptäckte att staden stod i lågor och insåg hur allvarligt läget var.

42 De flydde ut i öknen, men Israels armé förföljde dem, och männen som legat i bakhåll kom ut och fortsatte det blodbad som redan hade börjat.

43 De omringade Benjamins armé öster om Gibea och dödade flertalet av dem där.

44 I Benjamins armé dog 18.000 i striden.

45 Resten flydde ut i öknen bort mot Rimmons klippa, men 5.000 dödades utmed vägen och 2.000 närmare Gideom.

46 Benjamins stam förlorade den dagen 25.000 tappra män. De 600 som fanns kvar flydde alltså till Rimmons klippa, där de stannade i fyra månader.

48 Men Israels armé återvände och dödade allt och alla som tillhörde Benjamin och brände ner varje stad och by i hela området.

Swedish New Living Bible (Nya Levande Bibeln) Copyright © 1974, 1977, 1987, 1995, 2003, 2004 by Biblica, Inc.^® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.