Israel Gets Ready for War
1-3 The Israelites called a meeting of the nation. And since they were God's people, the meeting was held at the place of worship in Mizpah. Men who could serve as soldiers came from everywhere in Israel—from Dan in the north, Beersheba in the south, and Gilead east of the Jordan River. Four hundred thousand of them came to Mizpah, and they each felt the same about what those men from the tribe of Benjamin had done.
News about the meeting at Mizpah reached the tribe of Benjamin.
As soon as the leaders of the tribes of Israel took their places, the Israelites said, “How could such a horrible thing happen?”
4 The husband of the murdered woman answered:
My wife and I went into the town of Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. 5 Later that night, the men of Gibeah surrounded the house. They wanted to kill me, but instead they raped and killed my wife. 6 It was a terrible thing for Israelites to do! So I cut up her body and sent the pieces everywhere in Israel.
7 You are the people of Israel, and you must decide today what to do about the men of Gibeah.
8 The whole army was in agreement, and they said, “None of us will go home. 9-10 We'll send one tenth of the men from each tribe to get food for the army. And we'll ask God who should attack Gibeah, because those men deserve to be punished for committing such a horrible crime in Israel.”
11 Everyone agreed that Gibeah had to be punished.
12 The tribes of Israel sent messengers to every town and village in Benjamin. And wherever the messengers went, they said, “How could those worthless men in Gibeah do such a disgusting thing? 13 We can't allow such a terrible crime to go unpunished in Israel! Hand the men over to us, and we will put them to death.”
But the people of Benjamin refused to listen to the other Israelites. 14 Men from towns all over Benjamin's territory went to Gibeah and got ready to fight Israel. 15 The Benjamin tribe had 26,000 soldiers, not counting the 700 who were Gibeah's best warriors. 16 In this army there were 700 left-handed experts who could sling a rock at a target the size of a hair and hit it every time.
17 The other Israelite tribes organized their army and found they had 400,000 experienced soldiers. 18 So they went to the place of worship at Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should be the first to attack the people of Benjamin?”
“Judah,” the Lord answered.
19 The next morning the Israelite army moved its camp to a place near Gibeah. 20 Then they left their camp and got into position to attack the army of Benjamin.
The War Between Israel and Benjamin
21 Benjamin's soldiers came out of Gibeah and attacked, and when the day was over, 22,000 Israelite soldiers lay dead on the ground.
22-24 The people of Israel went to the place of worship and cried until sunset. Then they asked the Lord, “Should we attack the people of Benjamin again, even though they are our relatives?”
“Yes,” the Lord replied, “attack them again!”
The Israelite soldiers encouraged each other to be brave and to fight hard. Then the next day they went back to Gibeah and took up the same positions as they had before.
25 That same day, Benjamin's soldiers came out of Gibeah and attacked, leaving another 18,000 Israelite soldiers dead on the battlefield.
26-28 The people of Israel went to the place of worship at Bethel, where the sacred chest was being kept. They sat on the ground, crying and not eating for the rest of the day. Then about sunset, they offered sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask his blessing. Phinehas the priest then prayed, “Our Lord, the people of Benjamin are our relatives. Should we stop fighting or attack them again?”
“Attack!” the Lord answered. “Tomorrow I will let you defeat them.”
29 The Israelites surrounded Gibeah, but stayed where they could not be seen. 30 Then the next day, they took the same positions as twice before, 31-41 but this time they had a different plan. They said, “When the men of Benjamin attack, we will run off and let them chase us away from the town and into the country roads.”
The soldiers of Benjamin attacked the Israelite army and started pushing it back from the town. They killed about 30 Israelites in the fields and along the road between Gibeah and Bethel. The men of Benjamin were thinking, “We're mowing them down like we did before.”
The Israelites were running away, but they headed for Baal-Tamar, where they regrouped. They had set an ambush, and they were sure it would work. Ten thousand of Israel's best soldiers had been hiding west of Gibeah, and as soon as the men of Benjamin chased the Israelites into the countryside, these 10,000 soldiers made a surprise attack on the town gates. They dashed in and captured Gibeah, killing everyone there. Then they set the town on fire, because the smoke would be the signal for the other Israelite soldiers to turn and attack the soldiers of Benjamin.
The fighting had been so heavy around the soldiers of Benjamin, that they did not know the trouble they were in. But then they looked back and saw clouds of smoke rising from the town. They looked in front and saw the soldiers of Israel turning to attack. This terrified them, because they realized that something horrible was happening. And it was horrible—over 25,000 soldiers of Benjamin died that day, and those who were left alive knew that the Lord had given Israel the victory.
42 The men of Benjamin headed down the road toward the desert, trying to escape from the Israelites. But the Israelites stayed right behind them, keeping up their attack. Men even came out of the nearby towns to help kill the men of Benjamin, 43 who were having to fight on all sides. The Israelite soldiers never let up their attack. They chased and killed the warriors of Benjamin as far as a place directly east of Gibeah, 44 until 18,000 of these warriors lay dead.
45 Some other warriors of Benjamin turned and ran down the road toward Rimmon Rock in the desert. The Israelites killed 5,000 of them on the road, then chased the rest until they had killed 2,000 more. 46 Twenty-five thousand soldiers of Benjamin died that day, all of them experienced warriors. 47 Only 600 of them finally made it into the desert to Rimmon Rock, where they stayed for four months.
48 The Israelites turned back and went to every town in Benjamin's territory, killing all the people and animals, and setting the towns on fire.
Baiziraela banozwilulwamisila ngwa
1 Ndizo bathu bose be Iziraela banodwa ku Dani ne Bheerisheba kose ne shango ye Giliyadi bakazha bali tjithu tjing'ompela, gubungano likakubungana mbeli kwa Yahwe mu Mizipha. 2 Batungamili be bathu bose be njudzi dze Iziraela bakatola magalo abo mu gubungano le bathu be Ndzimu, kuli babhayani bali zwiwulu zwili mazana manna (400 000) bakabhata mathumo. 3 Babhenjamini bakabe bahwa kuti bathu be Iziraela bayenda ku Mizipha. Baiziraela bakati, “Mutibudze kuti tjithu itjetji tjakabipa tjakashingikala tjini kene?” 4 Ndizo Nlevi, nlume we nkadzi wakabulawa kati, “Imi ne tjamba tjangu takaswika ku Gibiya we Babhenjamini, tikalalako. 5 Kwakati busiku balume be Gibiya bakandimukila bakakomba ng'umba, beshaka kundibulaya. Bakadzula tjamba tjangu ngono tjikafa. 6 Ndakatola tjamba tjangu ndikathubukanya zwitho ngono ndikazwitumila mu ntuthu wose we shango ye thaka ye Iziraela, ngoti bathama tjinoshimisa tjinobhatisashoni mu Iziraela. 7 Bonani, imwi bathu be Iziraela mose, lebelekani mu duse dama.”
8 Bathu bose bakama bali tjithu tjing'ompela bakati, “Akuna wedu unowoyenda ku nshasha uwe kene kuli mmwe wedu unowoyenda ku ng'umba iye. 9 Koga tjatinowoshingila Gibiya ndiyetji, towoyinginilila kuyendidzana nge leba kwe hakata, 10 towotola balume bali gumi muna bali zana (100) mu njudzi dzose dze Iziraela ne bali zana (100) muna bali tjiwulu (1 000) ne bali tjiwulu (1 000) muna bali zwiwulu zwili zana (10 000) banozhisila ngwa zojiwa. Ngono banowoti bashanduka, tikathamila Gibiya we Bhenjamini tjakabafanila tjinobhatisa shoni tjabakathama mu Iziraela.” 11 Ndizo balume bose be Iziraela bakakubunganila nzi we Gibiya bali tjithu tjing'ompela.
12 Njudzi dze Iziraela dzikatuma balume ku ludzi gose gwa Bhenjamini dziti, “I mbipo yakatini yakashingikala pakati kwenyu kene? 13 Ndizo ngwenu dusani zwilalume izwezwi zwimu Gibiya kuti tizwibulaye, tiduse bubi mu Iziraela” Koga Babhenjamini bakasiteedze bakanyi kwabo Baiziraela. 14 Babhenjamini bakakubunganila ku Gibiya bebhuda mu mizi yabo kugwa ne Baiziraela. 15 Kwakati mu zhuba ilelo Babhenjamini bakalulwamisa balume bali zwiwulu zwili makumi mabili ana zwili tathatu (26 000) be thumo kudwa mu mizi yabo, kuzhadzisa bali mazana ali kutendeka (700) bakashalugwa banogala mu Gibiya. 16 Muna bose ibaba, bali mazana ali kutendeka (700) bakabe bashalugwa bakabe beshingisa luboko gwe lumeshwe, beziba posa nge tjivirimabgwe basinga khute. 17 Balume be Iziraela kuzhe kwe Babhenjamini, bakalulwamisa balume bali zwiwulu zwili mazana manna (400 000) be thumo, bose bali balume be ngwa.
Baiziraela banogwa ne Babhenjamini
18 Bathu be Iziraela bakamilika bakatathila ku Bhetele, bakabhuzwa Ndzimu beti, “Ndiboyani mutili banowotangisa ngwa ne Babhenjamini?” Yahwe bakashandula beti, “Bajuda ngabatangise.”
19 Kwakati tjimuka Baiziraela bakamilika bakanothama bukotokelo hwunde ye Gibiya. 20 Balume be Iziraela bakayenda bakanogwa ne Babhenjamini, bakazwimisa nge ndongoloso ye ngwa bakalinga Gibiya. 21 Babhenjamini bakabhuda mu Gibiya, bakabulaya balume bali zwiwulu zwili makumi mabili ana zwibili (22 000) be Baiziraela mu zhuba ilelo. 22 Koga balume be Iziraela bakasimisa moyo, bakama kakale nge ndongoloso ye ngwa mu magalo iwo zwawo abakama mu zhuba le kutanga. 23 Baiziraela bakatathila pezhugwi bakanolila mbeli kwa Yahwe kuswikila kube madekwana, ndizo bakabhuzwa Yahwe beti, “Apa tiyende tinogwa kakale ne bakanyi kwedu Babhenjamini kene?” Yahwe bakashandula beti, “Yendani munobanginilila.” 24 Ndizo Baiziraela bakanonginilila Babhenjamini zhuba le bubili. 25 Babhenjamini bakabashanganidza bedwa ku Gibiya zhuba le bubili, ngono bakabulaya balume be Iziraela bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina zwili zhanakadzi (18 000), bose bakabe bali balume be thumo. 26 Ipapo bathu bose be Iziraela, ngwa yose ikayenda ku Bhetele bakalila, baligele mbeli kwa Yahwe, bakazwinyima zojiwa zhuba ilelo kuswikila madekwana, bakadusa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne zwipo zwe mbakiso mbeli kwa Yahwe. 27 Baiziraela bakabhuzwa Yahwe, ngoti mu mazhuba iyawo Bhokisi le Tjidumano le Ndzimu lakabe lili yapo, 28 ngono Finiyasi nkololo wa Eliyaza ali nkololo wa Aroni ndiye wakabe e yendisa nshingo mu tjibaka itjetjo, bakabhuzwa beti, “Apa tiyende tinogwa kakale ne bakanyi kwedu Babhenjamini kene tiletje?” Yahwe bakashandula beti, “Yendani mangwana ndowobalonga mu maboko enyu.” 29 Baiziraela bakalalila Gibiya kuipoteleka. 30 Baiziraela bakatathila kunonginilila Babhenjamini kakale mu zhuba le butatu, bakazwilongolosa nge ngwa bakalinga Gibiya se misi yose. 31 Babhenjamini bakabhuda kubashanganidza kugwa, ngono bakadusiwa mu nzi, koga se misi yose bakatangisa bulaya bamwe bathu kungabe balume bali makumi matatu (30) be Iziraela mu dzizila, imwe kuli inoyenda ku Bhetele imwe ku Gibiya.
32 Babhenjamini bakazwidwa bakati, “Tabakunda se misi yose.” Koga Baiziraela bakati, “Ngatitizheni tibaduse mu nzi, tibakwebele ku zila dzakazhuka.”
33 Balume bose be Iziraela bakabhuda pabakabe balipo, bakanoma nge ndongoloso ku Bhaaletama, ne balume be Iziraela bakabe bakalalila bakaputjumuka pabakabe balipo tjekunomila zhuba kwe Gheba. 34 Kukaswika balume bali zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000) bakashalugwa mu Iziraela yose kunginilila Gibiya, ngwa ikasima, koga Babhenjamini bakasibone kuti mbatsha dzobawila. 35 Yahwe bakakunda Babhenjamini mbeli kwe Baiziraela, mu zhuba ilelo Baiziraela bakabulaya Babhenjamini bali zwiwulu zwili makumi mabili ana zwishanu ne bali zana (25 100), bose ibaba kuli be thumo.
36 Ndizo Babhenjamini bakabona kuti banokundiwa. Balume be Iziraela bakasedzela Bhenjamini, ngobe bakabe bakabiga muna bakabe bakalalila Gibiya. 37 Balume bakabe bakalalila bakati tjinyolotjo bakangina mu Gibiya, bakaandama bakabulaya nzi wose nge thumo. 38 Balume be Iziraela bakabe badumana ne bakalalila kuti bathame bhulubusi mu nzi, 39 ipapo balume be Iziraela banowoshanduka bakagwa. Babhenjamini bakabe batangisa bulaya balume banga bhata makumi matatu (30) be Baiziraela, ngono bakazwidwa bakati “Tobakunda se mu ngwa ye kutanga.” 40 Koga tjilakidzo tje bhulubusi tjakati tjimilika mu nzi, Babhenjamini bakashandukila shule bakabona busi gwe nzi wose guyenda pezhugwi. 41 Ipapo balume be Iziraela bakashandukila mu bali, balume be Bhenjamini bakatemeka mafupa, ngobe babona kuti mbatsha dzabawila. 42 Ndizo bakatizha Baiziraela betizhila ku tjilambanyika, koga ngwa ikabakulila, ngono ibabo bakabe bebhuda mu mizi mikulu bakababulayila muili. 43 Bakakomba Babhenjamini, bakabatatamila bakababulaya kunoti ku Gibiya tjekunobhudazhuba. 44 Balume bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina zwili zhanakadzi (18 000) bakabulawa, bose bali babhayani bakasima. 45 Bakatendebuka bakatizhila ku tjilambanyika tji ku shongwe ya Rimoni, balume bali zwiwulu zwili shanu (5 000) bakabulawa mu dzizila, bakadwilila bakatatamila Babhenjamini kunoti ku Gimoni, kukabulawa balume babo bali zwiwulu zwibili (2 000). 46 Ndizo Babhenjamini bose bakabulawa zhuba ilelo bakabe bali zwiwulu zwili makumi mabili ana zwili shanu (25 000) be thumo, bose bali babhayani bakasima. 47 Koga balume bali mazana ali tathatu (600) bakatendebuka bakatizhila ku tjilambanyika tjiku shongwe ya Rimoni, bakagala ko mimwedzi minna. 48 Balume be Iziraela bakabgwilila ku Babhenjamini, bakababulaya nge thumo, kose ne zwithuwo ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjabakabe bewana. Bakapisa nge moto mizi yose yabakabe bengina muili.