1 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the
congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with
the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.
2 And
the chief 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
Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?
4 And
the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, 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 upon me by
night, and thought
to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that 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 are all
children of Israel; 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 into his house.
9 But
now this shall be the
thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;
10 And
we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an
hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual 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 done among you?
13 Now
therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in
Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the
children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the
children of Israel:
14 But
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 at that time out of the cities twenty
and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which
were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
16 Among
all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded;
every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
17 And
the men of Israel, beside 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 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.
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
put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.
21 And
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.
22 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.
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.)
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 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.
27 And
the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (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 the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver
them into thine hand.
29 And
Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
30 And
the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third
day, and put 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 of the people, and kill,
as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God,
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 from the
city unto the highways.
33 And
all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array
at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out
of the meadows of Gibeah.
34 And
there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the
battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.
35 And
the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of
the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an 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 the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they
had set beside 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
there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait,
that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.
39 And
when the men of Israel retired in the battle, 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 flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the
Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up
to heaven.
41 And
when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: 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 overtook them;
and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in
the midst of them.
43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round
about, and chased
them, and trode
them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
44 And
there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men
of valour.
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 pursued hard after them
unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
46 So
that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that
drew the sword; all these were men of valour.
47 But
six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and
abode in the rock 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, as well the men of every city,
as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities
that they came to.
