| 1 Then 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. 2 And 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?
4 And 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. 5 And 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. 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 children of
Israel, all of you, 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 unto his house. 9 But now this is
the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by
lot; 10 and 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.
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 come to pass among you? 13 Now
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. 14 And 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 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. 16 Among all this people there were
seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a
hair-breadth, and not miss.
17 And the men of Israel, besides 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 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.
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 set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. 21 And
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. 22 And
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.
23 And 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.
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 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. 27 And the children of
Israel asked of Jehovah (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 Jehovah said, Go
up; for to-morrow I will deliver him into thy hand.
29 And Israel set liers-in-wait against Gibeah round about. 30 And 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. 31 And 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. 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 away from the city unto the highways.
33 And 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. 34 And 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. 35 And 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.
36 So 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. 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 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. 39 And 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. 40 But 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. 41 And the men of
Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; 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 followed hard after
them; and they that came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst
thereof. 43 They 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. 44 And there fell of Benjamin
eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor. 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 followed hard after
them unto Gidom, and smote of them two thousand men. 46 So that all who
fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the
sword; all these were men of valor. 47 But six hundred men turned
and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock
of 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, both the
entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found: moreover all the cities
which they found they set on fire.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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