Israel Prepares for War
1 All the people of Israel from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, as well as from the land of Gilead in the east, answered the call. They gathered in one body in the Lord's presence at Mizpah. 2 The leaders of all the tribes of Israel were present at this gathering of God's people, and there were 400,000 foot soldiers. 3 Meanwhile the people of Benjamin heard that all the other Israelites had gathered at Mizpah.
The Israelites asked, “Tell us, how was this crime committed?” 4 The Levite whose concubine had been murdered answered, “My concubine and I went to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night. 5 The men of Gibeah came to get me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me; instead they raped my concubine, and she died. 6 I took her body, cut it in pieces, and sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. These people have committed an evil and immoral act among us. 7 All of you here are Israelites. What are we going to do about this?”
8 All the people stood up together and said, “None of us, whether he lives in a tent or in a house, will go home. 9 This is what we will do: we will draw lots and choose some men to attack Gibeah. 10 One tenth of the men in Israel will provide food for the army, and the others will go and punish Gibeah for this immoral act that they have committed in Israel.” 11 So all the men in Israel assembled with one purpose—to attack the town.
12 The Israelite tribes sent messengers all through the territory of the tribe of Benjamin to say, “What is this crime that you have committed? 13 Now hand over those perverts in Gibeah, so that we can kill them and remove this evil from Israel.” But the people of Benjamin paid no attention to the other Israelites. 14 From all the cities of Benjamin they came to Gibeah to fight the other people of Israel. 15-16 They called out twenty-six thousand soldiers from their cities that day. Besides these, the citizens of Gibeah gathered seven hundred specially chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a strand of hair and never miss. 17 Not counting the tribe of Benjamin, the Israelites gathered 400,000 trained soldiers.
The War against the Benjaminites
18 The Israelites went to the place of worship at Bethel, and there they asked God, “Which tribe should attack the Benjaminites first?”
The Lord answered, “The tribe of Judah.”
19 So the Israelites started out the next morning and camped near the city of Gibeah. 20 They went to attack the army of Benjamin, and placed the soldiers in position facing the city. 21 The army of Benjamin came out of the city, and before the day was over they had killed twenty-two thousand Israelite soldiers. 22-23 Then the Israelites went to the place of worship and mourned in the presence of the Lord until evening. They asked him, “Should we go again into battle against our brothers the Benjaminites?”
The Lord answered, “Yes.”
So the Israelite army was encouraged, and they placed their soldiers in position again, where they had been the day before. 24 They marched against the army of Benjamin a second time. 25 And for the second time the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah, and this time they killed eighteen thousand trained Israelite soldiers. 26 Then all the people of Israel went up to Bethel and mourned. They sat there in the Lord's presence and did not eat until evening. They offered fellowship sacrifices and burned some sacrifices whole—all in the presence of the Lord. 27-28 God's Covenant Box was there at Bethel in those days, and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was in charge of it. The people asked the Lord, “Should we go out to fight our brothers the Benjaminites again, or should we give up?”
The Lord answered, “Fight. Tomorrow I will give you victory over them.”
29 So the Israelites put some soldiers in hiding around Gibeah. 30 Then for the third straight day they marched against the army of Benjamin and placed their soldiers in battle position facing Gibeah, as they had done before. 31 The Benjaminites came out to fight and were led away from the city. As they had before, they began killing some Israelites in the open country, on the road to Bethel and on the road to Gibeah. They killed about thirty Israelites. 32 The Benjaminites said, “We've beaten them just as before.”
But the Israelites had planned to retreat and lead them away from the city onto the roads. 33 So when the main army of the Israelites pulled back and regrouped at Baaltamar, the men surrounding Gibeah suddenly rushed out of their hiding places in the rocky country around the city. 34 Ten thousand men, specially chosen out of all Israel, attacked Gibeah, and the fighting was hard. The Benjaminites had not realized that they were about to be destroyed. 35 The Lord gave Israel victory over the army of Benjamin. The Israelites killed 25,100 of the enemy that day, 36 and the Benjaminites realized they were defeated.
How the Israelites Won
The main body of the Israelite army had retreated from the Benjaminites because they were relying on the men that they had put in hiding around Gibeah. 37 These men ran quickly toward Gibeah; they spread out in the city and killed everyone there. 38 The main Israelite army and the men in hiding had arranged a signal. When they saw a big cloud of smoke going up from the town, 39 the Israelites out on the battlefield were to turn around. By this time the Benjaminites had already killed the thirty Israelites. They told themselves, “Yes, we've beaten them just as before.” 40 Then the signal appeared; a cloud of smoke began to go up from the town. The Benjaminites looked behind them and were amazed to see the whole city going up in flames. 41 Then the Israelites turned around, and the Benjaminites were thrown into panic because they realized that they were about to be destroyed. 42 They retreated from the Israelites and ran toward the open country, but they could not escape. They were caught between the main army and the men who were now coming out of the city, and they were destroyed. 43 The Israelites had the enemy trapped, and without stopping they pursued them as far as a point east of Gibeah, killing them as they went. 44 Eighteen thousand of the best Benjaminite soldiers were killed. 45 The others turned and ran toward the open country to Rimmon Rock. Five thousand of them were killed on the roads. The Israelites continued to pursue the rest to Gidom, killing two thousand. 46 In all, twenty-five thousand Benjaminites were killed that day—all of them brave soldiers.
47 But six hundred men were able to escape to the open country to Rimmon Rock, and they stayed there four months. 48 The Israelites turned back against the rest of the Benjaminites and killed them all—men, women, and children, and animals as well. They burned every town in the area.
Israel ti ilongekidhile iita
1 Aantu ayehe muIsrael okuza kuDan kuumbangalantu, sigo oBeersheba muumbugantu, osho wo evi lyaGilead muuzilo, oya tondoka onkugo. Oya gongala puMispa ya ya omuyo gumwe miipathi yOmuwa. 2 Aawiliki yomazimo agehe gaIsrael omo ya li moshigongi shika shoshigwana shaKalunga, nokwa li aakwiita yokolupadhi 400 000. 3 Pokati mpoka Aabenjamin oya kundana kutya Aaisraeli yalwe ayehe oya gongala muMispa.
Aaisraeli oya pula: “Tu hokololeleni, iihuna mbika nkene ya longwa.” 4 Omulevi ngoka gwoshikumbu sha dhipagwa okwa yamukula: “Tse noshikumbu shandje otwa yile kuGibea moshilongo shaBenjamin, tu ka konge omulalo uusiku mboka. 5 Aalumentu yokuGibea oya ponokele ndje noya kondeke egumbo moka nda li nda lala. Oya li ya hala okudhipaga ndje; peha lyaashoka oya lala oshikumbu shandje koonkondo e tashi si. 6 Ngame onda kutha omudhimba gwasho nonde gu tete miitopolwa e te tumu oshitopolwa shimwe kukehe ezimo lyaIsrael. Aantu mbaka oya longo iihuna mokati ketu. 7 Amuhe mbaka mu li mpaka, Aaisraeli. Otatu shi ningi ngiini?”
8 Aantu ayehe oya thikama e taa ti: “Kape na nande gumwe gwetu, ongele a kala motenda nenge megumbo, ta ka shuna kaandjawo. 9 Shika osho shoka tatu ningi. Otatu umbu oshihogololitho, tu hogolole aalumentu yamwe ya matukile Gibea. 10 Oshitimulongo shimwe shaalumentu muIsrael otashi sile iikulya yaakwiita oshimpwiyu, nayalwe otaa yi e taa geele Gibea molwiihuna mbika ya longo muIsrael.” 11 Osho ngaaka aalumentu ayehe ya gongala muIsrael ye na elalakano limwe — ya matukile oshilando shoka.
12 Omazimo gaIsrael oga tumu aatumwa momikunda adhihe dhezimo lyaBenjamin taa ti: “Iihuna oya tya ngiini mbyoka mwa longo? 13 Ngashingeyi gandjeni aapwidhuki mboka yomuGibea, opo tu ya dhipage, tu kuthe mo oshipwe muIsrael.” Ihe Aabenjamin inaa pupa ko kAaisraeli ooyakwawo. 14 Oya kongoloka kiilando ayihe yaBenjamin noye ya kuGibea, ya kondjithe Aaisraeli ooyakwawo. 15-16 Oyi ithana aakwiita omayuvi omilongo mbali nagahamano ya zi kiilando yawo. Kakele nee kaambaka Aagibea oya gongele natango aalumentu aahogololwa omathele gaheyali aanalumoho. Shaa ngoka gwomuyo okwa li e shi kuumba nomamanya itaa palutha nando. 17 Oshihupe shomazimo gaIsrael osha gongele aakwiita ya dheukika 400 000.
Iita yokukondjitha Aabenjamin
18 Aaisraeli oya yi kehala lyelongelokalunga Betel. Oko nkoka ya pula Kalunga ya ti: “Ezimo olini tali matukile tango Aabenjamin?”
Omuwa okwa yamukula: “Ezimo lyaJuda.”
19 Osho Aaisraeli oya penduka ongula ya landula noya yungu ontanda ontega naGibea. 20 Oya yi e taa ponokele etangakwiita lyaBenjamin, noya tula aakwiita ya taalela oshilando. 21 Aakwiita Aabenjamin oya zi moshilando nuuna ndoka oya dhipaga aakwiita Aaisraeli omayuvi omilongo mbali nagaali. 22-23 Nena Aaisraeli oya yi kehala lyelongelokalunga noya lili oosa koshipala shOmuwa, sigo ongulohi. Oye mu pula: “Natu shune natango molugodhi, tu kondjithe aamwameme Aabenjamin?”
Omuwa okwa yamukula: “Eeno.”
Aakwiita Aaisraeli oya li yi itula mo noya tula aakwiita yawo melandulathano, ngaashi ya ningile nale. 24 Oya katuka yu ukilila aakwiita Aabenjamin olutiyali. 25 Olutiyali Aabenjamin oya zi muGibea nomoshikando shika oya dhipaga aakwiita ya dheuka yaIsrael omayuvi omulongo nagahetatu. 26 Nena oshigwana ashihe shaIsrael osha yi kuBetel, shi ka lile oosa. Oya kuutumba hoka koshipala shOmuwa yo inaa lya, sigo ongulohi. Oya yamba omakwatathanondjambo noya lungunitha omidhidhindjambo koshipala shOmuwa. 27-28 Oshikethahangano shaKalunga osha li muBetel momasiku ngeyaka, naPinehas yaEleasar, omutekulu gwaMoses, okwa li omudhiginini gwasho. Aaisraeli oya pula Omuwa: “Natu ye, tu ka kondjithe aamwameme Aabenjamin ishewe nenge natu shi ethe?”
Omuwa okwa yamukula: “Ke ya kondjitheni. Ongula otandi ke ye mu sinditha.”
29 Aaisraeli oya tula aakwiita miilangela momudhingoloko gwaGibea. 30 Nena esiku etitatu lya landula ko oya ka homona etangakwiita lyAabenjamin noya tula aakwiita yawo melandulathano ya taalela oshilando, ngaashi haa ningi shito. 31 Aabenjamin oya zi mo, ya kondje, noya hekelwa kondje yoshilando. Ngaashi shito oya tameke okudhipaga Aaisraeli meyalala moondjila ndhoka tadhi uka kuBetel nokuGibea. Oya dhipaga konyala Aaisraeli omilongo ndatu. 32 Aabenjamin oya ti: “Otwe ya dhenge nale, ngaashi hatu ningi shito.”
Ihe Aaisraeli oya ti: “Natu ningeni twa fa tatu yi ontuku e tatu ya heke, ye ye kokule noshilando ya lamba oondjila.”
33 Manga etangakwiita lyAaisraeli lya shuna lwanima nokutula ishewe moongundu puBaaltamar, aalumentu mboka ya li miilangela momudhingoloko gwaGibea gwa nika omamanya, oya hololoka ohaluka. 34 Aalumentu omayuvi omulongo ya tothwa muIsrael alihe, oya ponokele Gibea, nolugodhi olwa li olulululu. Aabenjamin inaa dhimbulula kutya oye li pokuhanagulwa po. 35 Omuwa okwa gandja kAaisraeli esindano okusinda etangakwiita lyAabenjamin. Esiku ndyoka Aaisraeli oya dhipaga aatondi 25 100. 36 Aabenjamin oya dhimbulula kutya oya sindika.
Nkene Aaisraeli ya sindi
Ombinga onene yetangakwiita lyAaisraeli oya li ya shuna lwanima molwAabenjamin, oshoka oyi inekele aalangeli mboka ya li momudhingoloko gwaGibea ya holama. 37 Aalangeli mbaka oya matukile Gibea; oyi ihana noshilando ashihe e taa dhipaga omuntu kehe moka. 38 Ombinga onene yetangakwiita oya li yu uvathana naalangeli kutya ngele tayi mono oshikogo sholwithi moshilando, 39 nena oyi na okupiluka. Manga shika inaashi ningwa, Aabenjamin oya adhika ya dhipaga Aaisraeli mbeyaka omilongo ndatu. Oya lombwelathana: “Eeno, otwe ya dhenge, ngaashi hatu ningi shito.” 40 Opo mpoka oshikogo sholwithi osha tameke okutsinagala moshilando. Aabenjamin oya tala lwanima noya li ya kumwa, sho ye wete oshilando tashi lokota komulilo. 41 Nena Aaisraeli oya piluka ko. Aabenjamin oya li ya haluka, oshoka oya dhimbulula kutya oye li pokukombwa po. 42 Oya fadhuka po yu uka meyalala, ihe inaa vula we okuhenuka. Oya kondekwa kombinga onene yetangakwiita nokaalumentu mboka taa zi moshilando, noya thekekwa po. 43 Aaisraeli oya li ya tula aatondi momwigo noinaa zimbuka oku ya tidhagana, sigo okuuzilo waGibea, noye ya dhipaga. 44 Omayuvi omulongo nagahetatu yomaakwiita Aabenjamin ya pyokoka oya dhipagwa. 45 Yalwe oya punguluka noya yi ontuku yu uka komalundu, kemanya Rimmon. Omayuvi gatano gomuyo oya dhipagelwa mondjila. Aaisraeli oya tsikile okutidhagana oshihupe, sigo oGidom, noya dhipaga musho omayuvi gaali. 46 Aabenjamin ayehe kumwe mboka ya dhipagwa esiku ndyoka, oya li omayuvi omilongo mbali nagatano — ayehe oya li aakwiita ya pyokoka.
47 Ihe aalumentu omathele gahamano oya vulu okuya ontuku komalundu, kemanya Rimmon noya kala ko oomwedhi ne. 48 Aaisraeli oya galukile oshihupe shoka shAabenjamin noye shi dhipaga po ashihe — aalumentu, aakiintu naanona, osho wo iinamwenyo. Iilando ayihe oya fikwa po.
