1
Then all the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] went out[H3318], and the congregation[H5712] was gathered together[H6950] as one[H259]man[H376], from Dan[H1835] even to Beersheba[H884], with the land[H776] of Gilead[H1568], unto the LORD[H3068] in Mizpeh[H4709].
2
And the chief[H6438] of all the people[H5971], even of all the tribes[H7626] of Israel[H3478], presented[H3320] themselves in the assembly[H6951] of the people[H5971] of God[H430], four[H702]hundred[H3967]thousand[H505]footmen[H376] that drew[H8025]sword[H2719].
3
(Now the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144]heard[H8085] that the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] were gone up[H5927] to Mizpeh[H4709].) Then said[H559] the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478], Tell[H1696] us, how was[H1961] this wickedness?[H7451]
4
And the Levite[H3881], the husband[H376] of the woman[H802] that was slain[H7523], answered[H6030] and said[H559], I came[H935] into Gibeah[H1390] that belongeth to Benjamin[H1144], I and my concubine[H6370], to lodge[H3885].
5
And the men[H1167] of Gibeah[H1390]rose[H6965] against me, and beset[H5437] the house[H1004] round about[H5437] upon me by night[H3915], and thought[H1819] to have slain[H2026] me: and my concubine[H6370] have they forced[H6031], that she is dead[H4191].
6
And I took[H270] my concubine[H6370], and cut her in pieces[H5408], and sent[H7971] her throughout all the country[H7704] of the inheritance[H5159] of Israel[H3478]: for they have committed[H6213]lewdness[H2154] and folly[H5039] in Israel[H3478].
7
Behold, ye are all children[H1121] of Israel[H3478]; give[H3051]here[H1988] your advice[H1697] and counsel[H6098].
8
And all the people[H5971]arose[H6965] as one[H259]man[H376], saying[H559], We will not any[H376] of us go[H3212] to his tent[H168], neither will we any[H376] of us turn[H5493] into his house[H1004].
9
But now this shall be the thing[H1697] which we will do[H6213] to Gibeah[H1390]; we will go up by lot[H1486] against it;
10
And we will take[H3947]ten[H6235]men[H582] of an hundred[H3967] throughout all the tribes[H7626] of Israel[H3478], and an hundred[H3967] of a thousand[H505], and a thousand[H7233] out of ten[H6235]thousand[H7233], to fetch[H3947]victual[H6720] for the people[H5971], that they may do[H6213], when they come[H935] to Gibeah[H1387] of Benjamin[H1144], according to all the folly[H5039] that they have wrought[H6213] in Israel[H3478].
11
So all the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] were gathered[H622] against the city[H5892], knit together[H2270] as one[H259]man[H376].
12
And the tribes[H7626] of Israel[H3478]sent[H7971]men[H582] through all the tribe[H7626] of Benjamin[H1144], saying[H559], What wickedness[H7451] is this that is done[H1961] among you?
13
Now therefore deliver[H5414] us the men[H582], the children[H1121] of Belial[H1100], which are in Gibeah[H1390], that we may put them to death[H4191], and put away[H1197]evil[H7451] from Israel[H3478]. But the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144]would[H14] not hearken[H8085] to the voice[H6963] of their brethren[H251] the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478]:
14
But the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144] gathered themselves together[H622]out[H3318] of the cities[H5892] unto Gibeah[H1390], to go out[H3318] to battle[H4421] against the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478].
15
And the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144] were numbered[H6485] at that time[H3117] out of the cities[H5892]twenty[H6242] and six[H8337]thousand[H505]men[H376] that drew[H8025]sword[H2719], beside the inhabitants[H3427] of Gibeah[H1390], which were numbered[H6485]seven[H7651]hundred[H3967]chosen[H977]men[H376].
16
Among all this people[H5971] there were seven[H7651]hundred[H3967]chosen[H977]men[H376]lefthanded[H334]; every one could sling[H7049]stones[H68] at an hair[H8185] breadth, and not miss[H2398].
17
And the men[H376] of Israel[H3478], beside Benjamin[H1144], were numbered[H6485]four[H702]hundred[H3967]thousand[H505]men[H376] that drew[H8025]sword[H2719]: all these were men[H376] of war[H4421].
18
And the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478]arose[H6965], and went up[H5927] to the house[H1004] of God[H430], and asked[H7592] counsel of God[H1008], and said[H559], Which[H4310] of us shall go up[H5927]first[H8462] to the battle[H4421] against the children[H1121] of Benjamin?[H1144] And the LORD[H3068]said[H559], Judah[H3063] shall go up[H5927]first[H8462].
19
And the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] rose up[H6965] in the morning[H1242], and encamped[H2583] against Gibeah[H1390].
20
And the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] went out[H3318] to battle[H4421] against Benjamin[H1144]; and the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] put themselves in array[H6186] to fight[H4421] against them at Gibeah[H1390].
21
And the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144] came forth[H3318] out of Gibeah[H1390], and destroyed down[H7843] to the ground[H776] of the Israelites[H3478] that day[H3117]twenty[H6242] and two[H8147]thousand[H505]men[H376].
22
And the people[H5971] the men[H376] of Israel[H3478]encouraged[H2388] themselves, and set their battle[H4421]again[H3254] in array[H6186] in the place[H4725] where they put themselves in array[H6186] the first[H7223]day[H3117].
23
(And the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] went up[H5927] and wept[H1058]before[H6440] the LORD[H3068] until even[H6153], and asked[H7592] counsel of the LORD[H3068], saying[H559], Shall I go up[H5066]again[H3254] to battle[H4421] against the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144] my brother?[H251] And the LORD[H3068]said[H559], Go up[H5066] against him.)
24
And the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] came near[H7126] against the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144] the second[H8145]day[H3117].
25
And Benjamin[H1144] went forth[H3318]against[H7125] them out of Gibeah[H1390] the second[H8145]day[H3117], and destroyed down[H7843] to the ground[H776] of the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] again eighteen[H8083]thousand[H505]men[H376]; all these drew[H8025] the sword[H2719].
26
Then all the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478], and all the people[H5971], went up[H5927], and came[H935] unto the house[H1004] of God[H430], and wept[H1058], and sat[H3427] there before[H6440] the LORD[H3068], and fasted[H6684] that day[H3117] until even[H6153], and offered[H5927] burnt offerings[H5930] and peace offerings[H8002]before[H6440] the LORD[H3068].
27
And the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478]enquired[H7592] of the LORD,(for the ark[H727] of the covenant[H1285] of God[H430] was there in those days[H3117],
28
And Phinehas[H6372], the son[H1121] of Eleazar[H499], the son[H1121] of Aaron[H175], stood[H5975]before[H6440] it in those days[H3117],) saying[H559], Shall I yet again[H3254] go out[H3318] to battle[H4421] against the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144] my brother[H251], or shall I cease?[H2308] And the LORD[H3068]said[H559], Go up[H5927]; for to morrow[H4279] I will deliver[H5414] them into thine hand[H3027].
29
And Israel[H3478]set[H7760] liers in wait[H693] round about[H5439]Gibeah[H1390].
30
And the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478] went up[H5927] against the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144] on the third[H7992]day[H3117], and put themselves in array[H6186] against Gibeah[H1390], as at other times[H6471].
31
And the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144] went out[H3318]against[H7125] the people[H5971], and were drawn away[H5423] from the city[H5892]; and they began[H2490] to smite[H5221] of the people[H5971], and kill[H2491], as at other[H259]times[H6471], in the highways[H4546], of which one[H259] goeth up[H5927] to the house[H1004] of God[H430], and the other[H259] to Gibeah[H1390] in the field[H7704], about thirty[H7970]men[H376] of Israel[H3478].
32
And the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144]said[H559], They are smitten down[H5062]before[H6440] us, as at the first[H7223]. But the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478]said[H559], Let us flee[H5127], and draw[H5423] them from the city[H5892] unto the highways[H4546].
33
And all the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] rose up[H6965] out of their place[H4725], and put themselves in array[H6186] at Baaltamar[H1193]: and the liers in wait[H693] of Israel[H3478] came forth[H1518] out of their places[H4725], even out of the meadows[H4629] of Gibeah[H1387].
34
And there came[H935]against[H5048]Gibeah[H1390]ten[H6235]thousand[H505]chosen[H977]men[H376] out of all Israel[H3478], and the battle[H4421] was sore[H3513]: but they knew[H3045] not that evil[H7451] was near[H5060] them.
35
And the LORD[H3068]smote[H5062]Benjamin[H1144]before[H6440]Israel[H3478]: and the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478]destroyed[H7843] of the Benjamites[H1145] that day[H3117]twenty[H6242] and five[H2568]thousand[H505] and an hundred[H3967]men[H376]: all these drew[H8025] the sword[H2719].
36
So the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144]saw[H7200] that they were smitten[H5062]: for the men[H376] of Israel[H3478]gave[H5414]place[H4725] to the Benjamites[H1145], because they trusted[H982] unto the liers in wait[H693] which they had set[H7760] beside Gibeah[H1390].
37
And the liers in wait[H693]hasted[H2363], and rushed[H6584] upon Gibeah[H1390]; and the liers in wait[H693] drew themselves along[H4900], and smote[H5221] all the city[H5892] with the edge[H6310] of the sword[H2719].
38
Now there was an appointed sign[H4150] between the men[H376] of Israel[H3478]and[H5973] the liers in wait[H693], that they should make a great[H7235]flame[H4864] with smoke[H6227] rise up[H5927] out of the city[H5892].
39
And when the men[H376] of Israel[H3478]retired[H2015] in the battle[H4421], Benjamin[H1144]began[H2490] to smite[H5221] and kill[H2491] of the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] about thirty[H7970]persons[H376]: for they said[H559], Surely[H5062] they are smitten down[H5062]before[H6440] us, as in the first[H7223]battle[H4421].
40
But when the flame[H4864]began[H2490] to arise up[H5927] out of the city[H5892] with a pillar[H5982] of smoke[H6227], the Benjamites[H1145]looked[H6437]behind[H310] them, and, behold, the flame[H3632] of the city[H5892] ascended up[H5927] to heaven[H8064].
41
And when the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] turned again[H2015], the men[H376] of Benjamin[H1144] were amazed[H926]: for they saw[H7200] that evil[H7451] was come[H5060] upon them.
42
Therefore they turned[H6437] their backs before[H6440] the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] unto the way[H1870] of the wilderness[H4057]; but the battle[H4421]overtook[H1692] them; and them which came out of the cities[H5892] they destroyed[H7843] in the midst[H8432] of them.
43
Thus they inclosed[H3803] the Benjamites[H1145] round about[H3803], and chased[H7291] them, and trode them down[H1869] with ease[H4496] over against[H5227]Gibeah[H1390] toward the sunrising[H4217].
44
And there fell[H5307] of Benjamin[H1144]eighteen[H8083]thousand[H505]men[H376]; all these were men[H582] of valour[H2428].
45
And they turned[H6437] and fled[H5127] toward the wilderness[H4057] unto the rock[H5553] of Rimmon[H7417]: and they gleaned[H5953] of them in the highways[H4546]five[H2568]thousand[H505]men[H376]; and pursued[H1692] hard after[H310] them unto Gidom[H1440], and slew[H5221] two thousand[H505]men[H376] of them.
46
So that all which fell[H5307] that day[H3117] of Benjamin[H1144] were twenty[H6242] and five[H2568]thousand[H505]men[H376] that drew[H8025] the sword[H2719]; all these were men[H582] of valour[H2428].
47
But six[H8337]hundred[H3967]men[H376]turned[H6437] and fled[H5127] to the wilderness[H4057] unto the rock[H5553]Rimmon[H7417], and abode[H3427] in the rock[H5553]Rimmon[H7417]four[H702]months[H2320].
48
And the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] turned again[H7725] upon the children[H1121] of Benjamin[H1144], and smote[H5221] them with the edge[H6310] of the sword[H2719], as[H5704] well the men[H4974] of every city[H5892], as[H5704] the beast[H929], and all that came to[H4672]hand[H4672]: also they set[H7971] on fire[H784] all the cities[H5892] that they came to[H4672].