Judges 20

¹ And all the sons of Israel go out, and the company is assembled as one man, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, and the land of Gilead, unto Yahweh, at Mizpeh. ² And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, station themselves in the assembly of the people of Elohim, four hundred thousand footmen drawing sword. ³ And the sons of Benjamin hear that the sons of Israel have gone up to Mizpeh. And the sons of Israel say, "Speak you, how has this evil been?" ⁴ And the man, the Levite, husband of the woman who has been murdered, answers and said, "Into Gibeah (which [is] to Benjamin) I have come, I and my concubine, to lodge"; ⁵ and rise against me do the masters of Gibeah - and they go round the house against me by night - me they thought to slay, and my concubine they have humbled, and she dies; ⁶ and I lay hold on my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and send her into all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have done wickedness and folly in Israel; ⁷ lo, you [are] all sons of Israel; give for you a word and counsel here." ⁸ And all the people rise as one man, saying, "None of us does go to his tent, and none of us does turn aside to his house; ⁹ and now, this [is] the thing which we do to Gibeah - against it by lot! ¹⁰ and we have taken ten men of a hundred, of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of a myriad, to receive provision for the people, to do, at their coming to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly which it has done in Israel." ¹¹ And every man of Israel is gathered unto the city, as one man - companions. ¹² And the tribes of Israel send men among all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, "What [is] this evil which has been among you? ¹³ And now, give up the men - sons of worthlessness - which [are] in Gibeah, and we put them to death, and we put away evil from Israel". And [the sons of] Benjamin have not been willing to hearken to the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel; ¹⁴ and the sons of Benjamin are gathered out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle with the sons of Israel. ¹⁵ And the sons of Benjamin number themselves on that day; out of the cities [are] twenty and six thousand men drawing sword, apart from the inhabitants of Gibeah, [who] numbered themselves, seven hundred chosen men; ¹⁶ among all this people [are] seven hundred chosen men, bound of their right hand, each of these slinging with a stone at the hair, and he does not err. ¹⁷ And the men of Israel numbered themselves, apart from Benjamin, four hundred thousand men, drawing sword, each of these a man of war. ¹⁸ And they rise and go up to Beth-El, and ask of Elohim, and the sons of Israel say, "Who does go up for us at the commencement to battle with the sons of Benjamin?" and Yahweh said, "Judah - at the commencement." ¹⁹ And the sons of Israel rise in the morning, and encamp against Gibeah, ²⁰ and the men of Israel go out to battle with Benjamin, and the men of Israel set themselves in array with them, [for] battle against Gibeah, ²¹ and the sons of Benjamin come out from Gibeah, and destroy in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men - to the earth. ²² And the people, the men of Israel, strengthen themselves, and add to set the battle in array in the place where they arranged themselves on the first day. ²³ And the sons of Israel go up and weep before Yahweh till the evening, and ask of Yahweh, saying, "Do I add to draw nigh to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother?" And Yahweh said, "Go up against him." ²⁴ And the sons of Israel draw near unto the sons of Benjamin on the second day, ²⁵ and Benjamin comes out to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and destroy among the sons of Israel again eighteen thousand men - to the earth; all these are drawing sword. ²⁶ And all the sons of Israel go up, even all the people, and come in to Beth-El, and weep, and sit there before Yahweh, and fast on that day till the evening, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Yahweh. ²⁷ And the sons of Israel ask of Yahweh, and there [is] the ark of the covenant of Elohim in those days, ²⁸ and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, is standing before it in those days saying, "Do I add again to go out to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or do I cease?" And Yahweh said, "Go up, for to-morrow I give him into your hand." ²⁹ And Israel sets liers in wait against Gibeah, round about, ³⁰ and the sons of Israel go up against the sons of Benjamin, on the third day, and arrange themselves against Gibeah, as time by time. ³¹ And the sons of Benjamin come out to meet the people; they have been drawn away out of the city, and begin to smite [some] of the people - wounded as time by time, in the highways (of which one is going up to Beth-El, and the other to Gibeah in the field), [are] about thirty men of Israel. ³² And the sons of Benjamin say, "They are smitten before us as at the beginning"; but the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee, and draw them away out of the city, unto the highways." ³³ And all the men of Israel have risen from their place, and arrange themselves at Baal-Tamar, and the ambush of Israel is coming forth out of its place, out of the meadow of Gibeah. ³⁴ And they come in over against Gibeah - ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel - and the battle [is] grievous, and they have not known that the evil is striking against them. ³⁵ And Yahweh smites Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroy in Benjamin, on that day, twenty and five thousand, and a hundred men; all these [are] drawing sword. ³⁶ And the sons of Benjamin see that they have been smitten - and the men of Israel give place to Benjamin, for they have trusted unto the ambush which they had set against Gibeah, ³⁷ and the ambush have hasted, and push against Gibeah, and the ambush draws itself out, and smites the whole of the city by the mouth of the sword. ³⁸ And there was the appointed sign to the men of Israel with the ambush - their causing to go up a great volume of smoke from the city. ³⁹ And the men of Israel turn in battle, and Benjamin has begun to smite the wounded among the men of Israel, about thirty men, for they said, "Surely they are utterly smitten before us, as [at] the first battle"; ⁴⁰ and the volume has begun to go up from the city - a pillar of smoke - and Benjamin turns behind, and lo, gone up has the perfection of the city toward the heavens. ⁴¹ And the men of Israel have turned, and the men of Benjamin are troubled, for they have seen that the evil has stricken against them, ⁴² and they turn before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, and the battle has followed them; and those who [are] from the city are destroying them in their midst; ⁴³ they have compassed the Benjamites - they have pursued them - with ease they have trodden them down till over-against Gibeah, at the sun-rising. ⁴⁴ And there fall of Benjamin eighteen thousand men - the whole of these [are] men of valor; ⁴⁵ and they turn and flee toward the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon; and they glean of them in the highways five thousand men, and follow after them unto Gidom, and smite of them two thousand men. ⁴⁶ And all those falling of Benjamin are twenty and five thousand men drawing sword, on that day - the whole of these [are] men of valor; ⁴⁷ and there turn and flee into the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon six hundred men, and they dwell in the rock Rimmon four months. ⁴⁸ And the men of Israel have turned back unto the sons of Benjamin, and smite them by the mouth of the sword out of the city, men unto cattle, unto all that is found; also all the cities which are found they have sent into fire."