1Then all the children of Israel went out, and the Congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpah.
2And the chief of all the people, and all the tribes of Israel assembled in the Congregation 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) Then, the children of Israel said, How is this wickedness committed?
4And the same Levite, the woman’s husband that was slain, answered and said, I came unto Gibeah that is in Benjamin with my concubine to lodge,
5And the men of Gibeah arose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, thinking to have slain me, and have forced my concubine that she is dead.
6Then 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 abomination and villainy in Israel.
7Behold, ye are all children of Israel, give your advice, and counsel herein.
8Then all the people arose as one man, saying, There shall not a man of us go to his tent, neither any turn into his house.
9But now this is that thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up by lot against it.
10And we will take ten men of the hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of the thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand to bring victual for the people, that they may do (when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin) according to all the villainy, that it hath done in 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 committed among you?
13Now therefore deliver us those wicked men which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel: but the children of Benjamin would not obey the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.
14But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to come out and fight against the children of Israel.
15And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time, out of the cities, six and twenty thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
16Of all this people were seven hundred chosen men, being left handed: all these could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not fail.
17Also the men of Israel beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword, even all men of war.
18And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked of God, saying, Which of us shall go up first to fight against the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Judah shall be first.
19Then the children of Israel arose up early and camped 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 beside Gibeah.
21And the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and slew down to the ground of the Israelites that day two and twenty thousand men.
22And the people, the men of Israel plucked up their hearts, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put them in array the first day.
23(For the children of Israel had gone up and wept before the Lord unto the evening, and had asked of the Lord, saying, Shall I go again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brethren? and the Lord said, Go up against them.)
24Then the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
25Also the second day Benjamin came forth to meet them out of Gibeah, and slew down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men: all they could handle the sword.
26Then all the children of Israel went up, and all the people came also unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day unto the evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
27And the children of Israel asked the Lord (for there was the Ark of the Covenant of God in those days,
28And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron stood before it at that time) saying, Shall I yet go anymore to battle against the children of Benjamin my brethren, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go up: for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.
29And Israel set men to lie in wait roundabout Gibeah.
30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
31Then the children of Benjamin coming out against the people, were drawn from the city: and they began to smite of the people and kill as at other times, even by the ways in the field (whereof one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah) upon a thirty men of Israel.
32(For the children of Benjamin said, They are fallen before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee and pluck them away 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 men that lay in wait of the Israelites came forth of their place, even out of the meadows of Geba,
34And they came over against Gibeah, ten thousand chosen men of all Israel, and the battle was sore: for they knew not that the evil was near them.
35And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel, and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites the same day five and twenty thousand and an hundred men: all they could handle the sword.
36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were stricken down: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted to the men that lay in wait, which they had laid beside Gibeah.
37And they that lay in wait hasted, and brake forth toward Gibeah, and the ambushment drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
38Also the men of Israel had appointed a certain time with the ambushments, that they should make a great flame and smoke arise 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 stricken down before us, as in the first battle.
40But when the flame began to rise out of the city as a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked back, and behold, the flame of the city began to ascend up to heaven.
41Then the men of Israel turned again, and the men of Benjamin were astonished: for they saw that evil was near unto them.
42Therefore they fled before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them: also they which came out of the cities, slew them among them.
43Thus they compassed the Benjamites about, and chased them at ease, and overran them, even over against Gibeah on the East side.
44And there were slain of Benjamin eighteen thousand men, which were all men of war.
45And they turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and the Israelites gleaned of them by the way five thousand men, and pursued after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them,
46So that all that were slain that day of Benjamin, were five and twenty thousand men that drew sword, which were all men of war.
47But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months.
48Then the men of Israel turned unto the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, from the men of the city unto the beasts, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they could come by.