CHAPTER 20
Then all
the Israelites
from Dan
to
Beersheba
and from the land
of Gilead
came out,
and the congregation
assembled
as one
man
before
the LORD
at Mizpah.
The leaders
of all
the people
and all
the tribes
of Israel
presented themselves
in the assembly
of God’s
people:
400,000
men
on foot,
armed
with swords.
(Now the Benjamites
heard
that
the Israelites
had gone up
to Mizpah.)
And the Israelites
asked,
“Tell
us, how
did this
wicked thing
happen?”
So the Levite,
the husband
of the murdered
woman,
answered:
“I
and my concubine
came
to Gibeah
in Benjamin
to spend the night.
And during the night,
the men
of Gibeah
rose up
against me
and surrounded
the house.
They intended
to kill me,
but they raped
my concubine,
and she died.
Then I took
my concubine,
cut her into pieces,
and sent her
throughout
the land
of Israel's
inheritance,
because
they had committed
a lewd
and disgraceful act
in Israel.
Then all
the people
stood
as one
man
and said,
“Not one
of us will return
to his tent
or
to his house.
We will take
ten
men
out of every hundred
from all
the tribes
of Israel,
and a hundred
out of every thousand,
and a thousand
out of every ten thousand,
to supply
provisions
for the army
when they go
to Gibeah
in Benjamin
to punish
them for all
the vileness
they have committed
in Israel."
And the tribes
of Israel
sent
men
throughout
the tribe
of Benjamin,
saying,
“What
is this
wickedness
that
has occurred
among you?
Hand over
the wicked
men
of Gibeah
so we can put them to death
and purge
Israel
of this wickedness.”
But the Benjamites
refused
to heed
the voice
of their fellow
Israelites.
On that
day
the Benjamites
mobilized
26,000
swordsmen
from their cities,
in addition to
the 700
select
men
of Gibeah.
Among all
these
soldiers
there were 700
select
left-handers,
each of whom
could sling
a stone
at
a hair
without
missing.
The Israelites,
apart from
Benjamin,
mustered
400,000
swordsmen,
each one
an experienced warrior.
The Israelites
set out,
went up
to Bethel,
and inquired
of God,
“Who
of us
shall go up
first
to fight
against
the Benjamites?”
“Judah will be first,”
the LORD
replied.
And the men
of Israel
went out
to fight
against
Benjamin
and took up their battle
positions
at Gibeah.
Then the Benjamites
came out
of
Gibeah
and cut down
22,000
Israelites
on the battlefield
that
day.
But the Israelite
army
took courage
and again
took their battle
positions
in the same place
where
they had arrayed themselves
on the first
day.
They
went up
and wept
before
the LORD
until
evening,
inquiring
of Him,
“Should we again
draw near
for battle
against
our brothers
the Benjamites?”
And the LORD
answered,
“Go up
against them.”
That same day
the Benjamites
came out
against them
from
Gibeah
and cut down
another
18,000
Israelites,
all
of them
armed
with swords.
Then
the Israelites,
all
the people,
went up
to Bethel,
where
they sat
weeping
before
the LORD.
That
day
they fasted
until
evening
and presented
burnt offerings
and peace offerings
to
the LORD.
Then the Israelites
inquired
of the LORD.
(In those
days,
the ark
of the covenant
of God
was there,
and Phinehas
son
of Eleazar,
the son
of Aaron,
served
before it.)
The Israelites asked,
“Should we again
go out
to battle
against
our brothers
the Benjamites,
or
should we stop?”
The LORD
answered,
“Fight,
for
tomorrow
I will deliver them
into your hands.”
On the third
day
the Israelites
went up
against
the Benjamites
and arrayed themselves
against
Gibeah
as they had done before.
The Benjamites
came out
against
them
and were drawn away
from
the city.
They began
to attack
the people
as before,
killing
about thirty
men
of Israel
in the fields
and on the roads,
one
of which
led up
to
Bethel
and the other
to Gibeah.
“We are defeating
them as before,”
said
the Benjamites.
But the Israelites
said,
“Let us retreat
and draw them away
from
the city
onto
the roads.”
So all
the men
of Israel
got up
from their places
and arrayed themselves
at Baal-tamar,
and the Israelites
in ambush
charged
from their positions
west
of Gibeah.
Then 10,000
select
men
from all
Israel
made a frontal
assault
against Gibeah,
and the battle
was fierce.
But the Benjamites
did not
realize
that
disaster was
upon
them.
The LORD
defeated
Benjamin
in the presence
of Israel,
and on that
day
the Israelites
slaughtered
25,100
Benjamites,
all
armed
with swords.
Then the Benjamites
realized
they had been defeated.
Now the men
of Israel
had retreated
before Benjamin,
because
they had confidence
in
the ambush
they had set
against
Gibeah.
The men in ambush
rushed
suddenly
against
Gibeah;
they
advanced
and put
the whole
city
to the sword.
The men
of Israel
had arranged
a signal
with
the men in ambush:
When they sent up
a great
cloud
of smoke
from
the city,
the men
of Israel
would turn
in the battle.
When the Benjamites
had begun
to strike them down,
killing
about thirty
men
of Israel,
they said,
“They are
defeated
before us
as in the first
battle.”
But when the column
of smoke
began
to go up
from
the city,
the Benjamites
looked
behind them
and saw
the whole
city
going up
in smoke.
Then the men
of Israel
turned back on them,
and the men
of Benjamin
were terrified
when
they realized
that
disaster
had come
upon them.
So they fled
before
the men
of Israel
toward
the wilderness,
but the battle
overtook them,
and the men
coming out of the cities
struck them down
there.
They surrounded
the Benjamites,
pursued them,
and easily
overtook them
in the vicinity
of Gibeah
on the east.
Then the Benjamites turned
and fled
toward the wilderness
to
the rock
of Rimmon,
and Israel cut down
5,000
men
on the roads.
And they overtook
them at
Gidom
and struck down
2,000 more.
But six
hundred
men
turned
and fled
into the wilderness
to
the rock
of Rimmon,
where they stayed
four
months.
And the men
of Israel
turned back
against
the other Benjamites
and struck down
with the sword
all
the cities,
including the animals
and
everything else
they found.
And they
burned down
all
the cities
in their path.