Israel gathers at Mizpah and demands that Benjamin hand over the guilty. Benjamin refuses, and a civil war follows. After two defeats, Israel wins on the third day and nearly destroys the tribe of Benjamin.
1 Then all the children of Israel went out , and the congregation was gathered together as one man , 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 , 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 ?
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 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 .
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 committed lewdness and folly in Israel .
7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel ; give here your advice and counsel .
8 And 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 .
9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah ; we will go up by lot against it;
10 And 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 .
11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city , knit together as one man .
12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin , saying , What wickedness is this that is done among you?
13 Now 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 :
14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah , to go out to battle against the children of Israel .
15 And 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 .
16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded ; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss .
17 And the men of Israel , beside Benjamin , were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword : all these were men of war .
18 And 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 .
19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning , and encamped against Gibeah .
20 And 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 .
21 And 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 .
22 And 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.)
24 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day .
25 And 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 .
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 offerings before the LORD .
27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD ,(for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days ,
28 And 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 .
29 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah .
30 And 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 .
31 And 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 .
32 And 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 .
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 .
34 And 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.
35 And 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 .
36 So 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 .
37 And 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 .
38 Now 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 .
39 And 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 .
40 But 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 .
41 And when the men of Israel turned again , the men of Benjamin were amazed : for they saw that evil was come upon them.
42 Therefore 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.
43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about , and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising .
44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men ; all these were men of valour .
45 And 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.
46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword ; all these were men of valour .
47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon , and abode in the rock Rimmon four months .
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 .