Judges 20:18-28

King James Version

¹⁸And 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.

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

²⁰And 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.

²¹And 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.

²²And 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.)

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

²⁵And 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.

²⁶Then 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.

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

²⁸And 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.

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Judges 20:18-28

New International Version

¹⁸The Israelites went up to Bethel^[a]^(A) and inquired of God.^(B) They said, “Who of us is to go up first^(C) to fight^(D) against the Benjamites?”

The Lord replied, “Judah^(E) shall go first.”

¹⁹The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. ²⁰The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. ²¹The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites^(F) on the battlefield that day. ²²But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. ²³The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord^(G) until evening,^(H) and they inquired of the Lord.^(I) They said, “Shall we go up again to fight^(J) against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”

The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”

²⁴Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. ²⁵This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites,^(K) all of them armed with swords.

²⁶Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord.^(L) They fasted^(M) that day until evening and presented burnt offerings^(N) and fellowship offerings^(O) to the Lord.^(P) ²⁷And the Israelites inquired of the Lord.^(Q) (In those days the ark of the covenant of God^(R) was there, ²⁸with Phinehas son of Eleazar,^(S) the son of Aaron, ministering before it.)^(T) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?”