“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.” (Judges 20:1-48 AV)
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