1Then all the children of Israel went out , and the congregation was assembled as one man , from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead , unto Jehovah at Mizpah . 2And the chiefs 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 Mizpah .) And the children of Israel said , Tell us , how was this wickedness brought to pass ? 4And the Levite , the husband of the woman that was murdered , answered and said , I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin , I and my concubine , to lodge . 5And the men of Gibeah rose against me , and beset the house round about me by night ; me they thought to have slain , and my concubine they forced , and she is dead . 6And 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 . 7Behold , ye children of Israel , all of you , give here your advice and counsel . 8And 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 unto his house . 9But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah : we will go up against it by lot ; 10and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel , and a hundred of a thousand , and a thousand out of ten thousand , to fetch victuals 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 .
The Gathering of Israel
11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city , knit together as one man . 12And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin , saying, What wickedness is this that is come to pass among you ? 13Now therefore deliver up the men , the base fellows , that are in Gibeah , that we may put them to death , and put away evil from Israel . But Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel . 14And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah , to go out to battle against the children of Israel . 15And the children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword , besides the inhabitants of Gibeah , who were numbered seven hundred chosen men . 16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss . 17And the men of Israel , besides Benjamin , were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword : all these were men of war . 18And the children of Israel arose , and went up to Beth-el , and asked counsel of God ; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin ? And Jehovah said, Judah shall go up first . 19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning , and encamped against Gibeah . 20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin ; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah .
The Battle Against Benjamin
21And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah , and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand men . 22And the people , the men of Israel , encouraged themselves , and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day . 23And the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even ; and they asked of Jehovah , saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him . 24And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day . 25And 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 . 26Then all the children of Israel , and all the people , went up , and came unto Beth-el , and wept , and sat there before Jehovah , and fasted that day until even ; and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah . 27And the children of Israel asked of Jehovah ( for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days , 28and 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 Jehovah said , Go up ; for to-morrow I will deliver him into thy hand . 29And Israel set liers-in-wait against Gibeah round about . 30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day , and set themselves in array against Gibeah , as at other times .
The Final Confrontation
31And the children of Benjamin went out against the people , and were drawn away from the city ; and they began to smite and kill of the people , as at other times , in the highways , of which one goeth up to Beth-el , and the other to Gibeah , in the field , about thirty men of Israel . 32And 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 away from the city unto the highways . 33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place , and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar : and the liers-in-wait of Israel brake forth out of their place , even out of Maareh-geba. 34And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel , and the battle was sore ; but they knew not that evil was close upon them . 35And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel ; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men : all these drew the sword . 36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten ; for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin , because they trusted unto the liers-in-wait whom they had set against Gibeah . 37And 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 . 38Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers-in-wait was , that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city . 39And the men of Israel turned in the battle , and 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 . 40But when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke , the Benjamites looked behind them ; and , behold , the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven . 41And the men of Israel turned , and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil was come upon them . 42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness ; but the battle followed hard after them ; and they that came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst thereof . 43They inclosed the Benjamites round about , and chased them , and trod them down at their resting-place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the sunrising . 44And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men ; all these were men of valor . 45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon : and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and followed hard after them unto Gidom , and smote of them two thousand men. 46So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword ; all these were men of valor . 47But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon , and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months . 48And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin , and smote them with the edge of the sword , both the entire city , and the cattle, and all that they found : moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.