1
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as oneman, 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,fourhundredthousandfootmenthatdrewsword.
3
(Now the children of Benjaminheard 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 Gibeahrose 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 committedlewdness and folly in Israel.
10
And we will taketenmen of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetchvictual 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.
13
Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put awayevil from Israel. But the children of Benjaminwould not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:
15
And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the citiestwenty and sixthousandmen that drewsword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numberedsevenhundredchosenmen.
18
And the children of Israelarose, and went up to the house of God*, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go upfirst to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORDsaid, Judah shall go up first.
22
And the people the men of Israelencouraged themselves, and set their battleagain in array in the place where they put themselves in array the firstday.
23
(And the children of Israel went up and weptbefore the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD,saying, Shall I go upagain to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORDsaid, Go up against him.)
25
And Benjamin went forthagainst them out of Gibeah the secondday, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen*thousandmen; 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 offeringsbefore the LORD.
28
And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron,stoodbefore 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 LORDsaid, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
31
And the children of Benjamin went outagainst 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 thirtymen of Israel.
32
And the children of Benjaminsaid, They are smitten downbefore us, as at the first. But the children of Israelsaid, 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.
35
And the LORDsmoteBenjaminbeforeIsrael: and the children of Israeldestroyed of the Benjamites that daytwenty and fivethousand and an hundredmen: all these drew the sword.
36
So the children of Benjaminsaw that they were smitten: for the men of Israelgaveplace to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.
37
And the liers in waithasted, 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 Israeland the liers in wait, that they should make a greatflame with smoke rise up out of the city.
39
And when the men of Israelretired in the battle,Benjaminbegan to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirtypersons: for they said, Surely they are smitten downbefore us, as in the firstbattle.
40
But when the flamebegan to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamiteslookedbehind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.
42
Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battleovertook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.
45
And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highwaysfivethousandmen; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousandmen of them.
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.