Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was
gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the
land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.
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.
(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?
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.
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.
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.
Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.
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.
But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;
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.
So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin,
saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?
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:
But the children of
Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to
go out to battle against the children of Israel.
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.
Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded;
every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.
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.
And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.
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.
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.
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.
(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.)
And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
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.
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.
And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
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.
And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
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.
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.
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.
And all the men of Israel rose up
out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the
liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the
meadows of Gibeah.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.
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.
Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and
trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
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.
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.
But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.
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.
