1Then all the children of Israel went out , and the congregation was gathered together as one man , from Dan even to Beer-sheba , with the land of Gilead , unto the LORD in Mizpeh . 2And 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 ? 4And 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 . 5And 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 . 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 are all children of Israel ; 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 into his house . 9But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah ; we will go up by lot against it; 10And 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 .
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 done among you? 13Now 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 : 14But 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 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 . 16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded ; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth , and not miss . 17And the men of Israel , beside 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 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 . 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 put themselves in array to fight 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 that day twenty and two thousand men . 22And 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.) 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 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 . 27And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD , (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 the LORD said , Go up ; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand . 29And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah . 30And 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 .
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 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 . 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 from the city unto the highways . 33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place , and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar : and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places , even out of the meadows of Gibeah . 34And 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. 35And 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 . 36So 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 . 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 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 . 39And 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 . 40But 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 . 41And when the men of Israel turned again , the men of Benjamin were amazed : 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 overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them. 43Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about , and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising . 44And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men ; all these were men of valour . 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 pursued hard after them unto Gidom , and slew two thousand men of them. 46So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword ; all these were men of valour . 47But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon , and abode in the rock Rimmon four months . 48And 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 .