Judges 20:22

New Revised Standard

The Israelites took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. So the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites the second day. Benjamin moved out against them from Gibeah the second day, and struck down eighteen thousand of the Israelites, all of them armed men. Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went back to Bethel and wept, sitting there before the Lord ; they fasted that day until evening. Then they offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of well-being before the Lord . And the Israelites inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, "Shall we go out once more to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites, or shall we desist?" The Lord answered, "Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand." So Israel stationed men in ambush around Gibeah. Then the Israelites went up against the Benjaminites on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as before. When the Benjaminites went out against the army, they were drawn away from the city. As before they began to inflict casualties on the troops, along the main roads, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, as well as in the open country, killing about thirty men of Israel. The Benjaminites thought, "They are being routed before us, as previously." But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city toward the roads." The main body of the Israelites drew back its battle line to Baal-tamar, while those Israelites who were in ambush rushed out of their place west of Geba. There came against Gibeah ten thousand picked men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was close upon them. The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel; and the Israelites destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day, all of them armed. Then the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated. The Israelites gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted to the troops in ambush that they had stationed against Gibeah. The troops in ambush rushed quickly upon Gibeah. Then they put the whole city to the sword. Now the agreement between the main body of Israel and the men in ambush was that when they sent up a cloud of smoke out of the city the main body of Israel should turn in battle. But Benjamin had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites, killing about thirty of them; so they thought, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle." But when the cloud, a column of smoke, began to rise out of the city, the Benjaminites looked behind them—and there was the whole city going up in smoke toward the sky! Then the main body of Israel turned, and the Benjaminites were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them. Therefore they turned away from the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the city were slaughtering them in between. Cutting down the Benjaminites, they pursued them from Nohah and trod them down as far as a place east of Gibeah. Eighteen thousand Benjaminites fell, all of them courageous fighters. When they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, five thousand of them were cut down on the main roads, and they were pursued as far as Gidom, and two thousand of them were slain. So all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand arms-bearing men, all of them courageous fighters. But six hundred turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. Meanwhile, the Israelites turned back against the Benjaminites, and put them to the sword—the city, the people, the animals, and all that remained. Also the remaining towns they set on fire.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But the Israelite troops rallied and again took their battle positions in the same place where they positioned themselves on the first day.

Hebrew Names Version
The people, the men of Yisra'el, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
But the troops, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and again they arranged their battle lines in the place where they had arranged themselves the first day.

English Standard Version
But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.

New Century Version
The Israelites went before the Lord and cried until evening. They asked the Lord , "Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again?" The Lord answered, "Go up and fight them." The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they took the same battle positions they had taken the first day.

New English Translation
The Israelite army took heart and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before.

Amplified Bible
But the people, the [fighting] men of Israel, took courage and strengthened themselves and again set their battle line in the same place where they formed it the first day.

New American Standard Bible
But the people, the men of Israel, showed themselves courageous and lined up for battle again in the place where they had lined themselves up on the first day.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the people, the men of Israel plucked vp their hearts, and set their battel againe in aray in the place where they put them in aray the first day.

Legacy Standard Bible
And on some, who are doubting, have mercy;

Contemporary English Version
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.

Complete Jewish Bible
The people, the men of Isra'el, restored their morale and again positioned themselves for battle where they had been the first day.

Darby Translation
And the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and set the battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

Easy-to-Read Version
The Israelites went to the Lord and cried until evening. They asked the Lord , "Should we go to fight the people of Benjamin again? They are our relatives." The Lord answered, "Go fight against them." The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they again went out to fight, as they had done the first day.

George Lamsa Translation
But the children of Israel rallied themselves, and once more set themselves in array in the same place where they had put themselves in array the first day.

Good News Translation
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.

Literal Translation
And the people, the men of Israel, made themselves strong, and again set the battle in order in the place where they set themselves on the first day.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the people of the men of Israel comforted them selues, and made them ready to fighte yet more in the same place, after they had prepared them selues the daye afore.

American Standard Version
And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

Bible in Basic English
But the people, the men of Israel, taking heart again, put their forces in order and took up the same position as on the first day.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the people the men of Israel plucked vp their heartes, and set their battel againe in aray, in the same place where they dyd the first day.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

King James Version (1611)
And the people the men of Israel incouraged themselues, & set their battel againe in aray, in the place where they put themselues in aray the first day.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day.

English Revised Version
And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

Berean Standard Bible
But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And eft the sones of Israel tristiden in strengthe and noumbre, and dressiden schiltrun, in the same place in which thei fouyten bifore;

Young's Literal Translation
And the people, the men of Israel, strengthen themselves, and add to set the battle in array in the place where they arranged themselves on the first day.

Update Bible Version
And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.

New King James Version
And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.

New Living Translation
But the Israelites encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day.

New Life Bible
But the men of Israel made their hearts strong. They got ready for battle again in the same place they had fought the first day.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, - and again set themselves in array for battle in the place where they had set themselves in array on the first day.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Again Israel, trusting in their strength and their number, set their army in array in the same place, where they had fought before:

Revised Standard Version
But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.

THE MESSAGE
The Israelites went back to the sanctuary and wept before God until evening. They again inquired of God , "Shall we again go into battle against the Benjaminites, our brothers?" God said, "Yes. Attack."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day.

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ The Israelites proceeded to go up to Bethel, where they inquired of God, "Which of us shall go up first to battle against the Benjaminites?" And the Lord answered, "Judah shall go up first." ¹⁹ Then the Israelites got up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. ²⁰ The Israelites went out to battle against Benjamin; and the Israelites drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. ²¹ The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah, and struck down on that day twenty-two thousand of the Israelites. The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until the evening; and they inquired of the Lord , "Shall we again draw near to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites?" And the Lord said, "Go up against them." ²² The Israelites took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. So the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites the second day. Benjamin moved out against them from Gibeah the second day, and struck down eighteen thousand of the Israelites, all of them armed men. Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went back to Bethel and wept, sitting there before the Lord ; they fasted that day until evening. Then they offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of well-being before the Lord . And the Israelites inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, "Shall we go out once more to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites, or shall we desist?" The Lord answered, "Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand." So Israel stationed men in ambush around Gibeah. Then the Israelites went up against the Benjaminites on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as before. When the Benjaminites went out against the army, they were drawn away from the city. As before they began to inflict casualties on the troops, along the main roads, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, as well as in the open country, killing about thirty men of Israel. The Benjaminites thought, "They are being routed before us, as previously." But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city toward the roads." The main body of the Israelites drew back its battle line to Baal-tamar, while those Israelites who were in ambush rushed out of their place west of Geba. There came against Gibeah ten thousand picked men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was close upon them. The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel; and the Israelites destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day, all of them armed. Then the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated. The Israelites gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted to the troops in ambush that they had stationed against Gibeah. The troops in ambush rushed quickly upon Gibeah. Then they put the whole city to the sword. Now the agreement between the main body of Israel and the men in ambush was that when they sent up a cloud of smoke out of the city the main body of Israel should turn in battle. But Benjamin had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites, killing about thirty of them; so they thought, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle." But when the cloud, a column of smoke, began to rise out of the city, the Benjaminites looked behind them—and there was the whole city going up in smoke toward the sky! Then the main body of Israel turned, and the Benjaminites were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them. Therefore they turned away from the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the city were slaughtering them in between. Cutting down the Benjaminites, they pursued them from Nohah and trod them down as far as a place east of Gibeah. Eighteen thousand Benjaminites fell, all of them courageous fighters. When they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, five thousand of them were cut down on the main roads, and they were pursued as far as Gidom, and two thousand of them were slain. So all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand arms-bearing men, all of them courageous fighters. But six hundred turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. Meanwhile, the Israelites turned back against the Benjaminites, and put them to the sword—the city, the people, the animals, and all that remained. Also the remaining towns they set on fire. ²³ The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until the evening; and they inquired of the Lord , "Shall we again draw near to battle against our kinsfolk the Benjaminites?" And the Lord said, "Go up against them." The Israelites took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. ²⁴ So the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites the second day. ²⁵ Benjamin moved out against them from Gibeah the second day, and struck down eighteen thousand of the Israelites, all of them armed men.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

encouraged: Judges 20:15, Judges 20:17, 1 Samuel 30:6, 2 Samuel 11:25, Psalms 64:5

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves,.... That though they had lost a great number of men, yet still their forces were large and greatly superior to those of Benjamin, and above all their cause was good:

and set their battle again in array formed a line of battle again facing their enemy, inviting to another battle, and bidding defiance:

and in the place where they put themselves in array the first day; by which it seems they kept the field of battle; though they lost so many men, they did not flee before the children of Benjamin, but stood their ground; nor were they so superstitious as to fancy the place unlucky; nor was it a bad situation they were in, to which their want of success was owing, for then they would have changed it.