1
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man , from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead , to Yahweh at Mizpah .
2
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 who drew sword .
3
(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah .) The children of Israel said , "Tell us , how did this wickedness happen?"
4
The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered , "I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin , I and my concubine , to lodge.
5
The men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house by night . They thought to have slain me, and they forced my concubine , and she is dead .
6
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, you children of Israel , all of you, give here your advice and counsel."
8
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 to 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 one hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel , and one hundred of one thousand , and a thousand out of ten thousand , to get food for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin , according to all the folly that they have worked in Israel ."
11
So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city , knit together as one man .
12
The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin , saying, "What wickedness is this that is happen among you?
13
Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, who are in Gibeah , that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel ." But Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers the children of Israel .
14
The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah , to go out to battle against the children of Israel .
15
The children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty -six thousand men who drew the sword , besides the inhabitants of Gibeah , who were numbered seven hundred chosen men .
16
Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; everyone could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.
17
The men of Israel , besides Benjamin , were numbered four hundred thousand men who drew sword : all these were men of war .
18
The children of Israel arose, and went up to Bethel , and asked counsel of God ; and they said , "Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin ?" Yahweh said , "Judah [shall go up ] first."
19
The children of Israel rose up in the morning , and encamped against Gibeah .
20
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
The children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah , and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day Twenty -two thousand men .
22
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
The children of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until evening ; and they asked of Yahweh , saying, "Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother ?" Yahweh said , "Go up against him."
24
The children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day .
25
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 to Bethel , and wept , and sat there before Yahweh , and fasted that day until evening ; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh .
27
The children of Israel asked of Yahweh (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?" Yahweh said , "Go up ; for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand ."
29
Israel set ambushes all around Gibeah .
30
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
The children of Benjamin went out against the people , and were drawn away from the city ; and they began to strike and kill of the people , as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to Bethel , and the other to Gibeah , in the field , about thirty men of Israel .
32
The children of Benjamin said , "They are struck down before us , as at the first ." But the children of Israel said , "Let us flee , and draw them away from the city to the highways."
33
All the men of Israel rose up out of their place , and set themselves in array at Baal Tamar: and the ambushers of Israel broke forth out of their place , even out of Maareh Geba.
34
There came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel , and the battle was severe; but they didn't know that evil was close on them.
35
Yahweh struck Benjamin before Israel ; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty -five thousand one hundred men : all these drew the sword .
36
So the children of Benjamin saw that they were struck ; for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin , because they trusted the ambushers whom they had set against Gibeah .
37
The ambushers hurried, and rushed on Gibeah ; and the ambushers drew themselves along, and struck all the city with the edge of the sword .
38
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambushers was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city .
39
The men of Israel turned in the battle , and Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said , "Surely they are struck 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 the sky .
41
The men of Israel turned , and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil had come on them.
42
Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness ; but the battle followed hard after them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in its midst .
43
They surrounded the Benjamites , chased them, [and] trod them down at [their] resting place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the sunrise .
44
There fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men ; all these [were] men of valor.
45
They turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men , and followed hard after them to Gidom, and struck of them two thousand men .
46
So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty -five thousand men who drew the sword ; all these [were] men of valor.
47
But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and stayed in the rock of Rimmon four months .
48
The men of Israel turned again on the children of Benjamin , and struck them with the edge of the sword , both the entire city , and the livestock, and all that they found : moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire .