Judges 20

1Then all the sons of Israel came out, and the congregation assembled as one man, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and from the land of Gilead, to Yahweh at Mizpah.

2And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God—four hundred thousand foot soldiers drawing the sword.

3The sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. And the sons of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?”

4Then the Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.

5Then the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she died.

6So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel’s inheritance, because they committed lewdness and outrage in Israel.

7Look, all of you sons of Israel, give your word and counsel here.

8Then all the people rose up as one man, saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, and not one of us will turn aside to his house.”

9But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: against it by lot.

10And we will take ten men out of a hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to get provisions for the people, so that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may do according to all the outrage that it committed in Israel.

11So all the men of Israel gathered to the city, united as one man.

12So the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, “What is this evil that has happened among you?”

13Hand over the men, the sons of worthlessness, who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel. But Benjamin was not willing to listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

14And the sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.

15And on that day the sons of Benjamin were mustered from the cities: twenty-six thousand men drawing the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were mustered as seven hundred chosen men.

16From all this people, seven hundred chosen men were left-handed; every one of these could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, were mustered at four hundred thousand men drawing the sword; all these were men of war.

18Then they arose and went up to Bethel, and they inquired of God. The sons of Israel said, “Who will go up first for us to the battle against the sons of Benjamin?” And Yahweh said, “Judah first.”

19Then the sons of Israel rose in the morning and camped against Gibeah.

20The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up for battle against them at Gibeah.

21Then the sons of Benjamin came out from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand men of Israel that day.

22But the people, the men of Israel, strengthened themselves and again drew up for battle in the place where they had drawn up on the first day.

23Then the sons of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until evening, and they inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I continue to go near for battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother?” And Yahweh said, “Go up against him.”

24And the sons of Israel came near to the sons of Benjamin on the second day.

25Benjamin came out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day, and they struck down another eighteen thousand men of Israel to the ground; all these were drawing the sword.

26Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel, and they wept and sat there before Yahweh and fasted that day until evening. Then they offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

27And the sons of Israel inquired of Yahweh—for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days—

28And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, stood before him in those days, saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother, or shall I stop?” And Yahweh said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give him into your hand.”

29So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

30Then the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and they drew up against Gibeah as before.

31And the sons of Benjamin came out to meet the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to strike down some of the people, as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and one to Gibeah in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.

32And the sons of Benjamin said, “They are being struck down before us as at the first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

33Then all the men of Israel rose from their place and drew up in battle formation at Baal-tamar, while the men lying in ambush of Israel rushed out from their place, from Maareh-geba.

34Then ten thousand chosen men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce; but they did not know that disaster was closing in on them.

35And Yahweh struck Benjamin down before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day, all these drawing the sword.

36So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. Now the men of Israel had given place to Benjamin, because they trusted in the ambush that they had set against Gibeah.

37Then the men in ambush quickly rushed against Gibeah, and the ambush advanced and struck the whole city with the edge of the sword.

38The appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambush was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

39Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike down the slain among the men of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, “Surely he is utterly defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

40But the signal began to rise from the city as a pillar of smoke, and Benjamin turned behind him, and behold, the whole city was going up to the heavens.

41Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified, because they saw that disaster had come upon them.

42So they turned before the men of Israel toward the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them; and those from the cities were destroying them in their midst.

43They surrounded Benjamin, pursued him relentlessly, and trampled him down as far as opposite Gibeah, toward the east of the sun.

44And eighteen thousand men from Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors.

45Then they turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon. And they cut down five thousand men of them on the highways, and pursued them as far as Gidom, and struck down two thousand men of them.

46So all who fell from Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.

47But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and stayed at the rock of Rimmon four months.

48And the men of Israel turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, from each city, men to livestock, even all that was found. Also all the cities that were found they set on fire.