1
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man , from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead , unto Jehovah at Mizpah .
2
And the chiefs 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 Mizpah .) And the children of Israel said , Tell us , how was this wickedness brought to pass?
4
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, 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 me by night ; me they thought to have slain , and my concubine they forced, and 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 children of Israel , all of you, 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 unto his house .
9
But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah : [we will go up] against it by lot ;
10
and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel , and a hundred of a thousand , and a thousand out of ten thousand , to fetch victuals 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 come to pass among you?
13
Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, that are in Gibeah , that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel . But Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel .
14
And 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 on that day out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword , besides the inhabitants of Gibeah , who were numbered seven hundred chosen men .
16
Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.
17
And the men of Israel , besides 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 Beth-el , and asked counsel of God ; and they said , Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin ? And Jehovah 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 set the battle in array against them at Gibeah .
21
And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah , and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men .
22
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 .
23
And the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even; and they asked of Jehovah , saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother ? And Jehovah 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 Beth-el , and wept , and sat there before Jehovah , and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt-offerings and peace -offerings before Jehovah .
27
And the children of Israel asked of Jehovah (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 Jehovah said , Go up ; for to-morrow I will deliver him into thy hand .
29
And Israel set liers-in-wait against Gibeah round about .
30
And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day , and set 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 and kill of the people , as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to Beth-el , 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 away from the city unto the highways.
33
And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place , and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the liers-in-wait of Israel brake forth out of their place , even out of Maareh-geba.
34
And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel , and the battle was sore; but they knew not that evil was close upon them.
35
And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel ; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty and five thousand and a 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 Benjamin , because they trusted unto the liers-in-wait whom they had set against 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 the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers-in-wait was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city .
39
And the men of Israel turned in the battle , and 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 cloud began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke , the Benjamites looked behind them; and, behold, the whole of the city went up [in smoke ] to heaven .
41
And the men of Israel turned , and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; 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 followed hard after them; and they that came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst thereof.
43
They inclosed the Benjamites round about, [and] chased them, [and] trod them down at [their] resting-place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the sunrising .
44
And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men ; all these [were] men of valor.
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 followed hard after them unto Gidom, and smote of them two thousand men .
46
So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword ; all these [were] men of valor.
47
But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of 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 , both the entire city , and the cattle, and all that they found : moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire .