Judges 20
1SO all the children of Israel set out, and the congregation assembled as one man from Dan to Bersabee, and from the land of Galaad, before the Lord at Massepha.
2And when all the tribes of Israel were drawn up before the Lord in the congregation of the people of God, there were four hundred thousand footmen who drew the sword.
3Now the children of Benjamin heard that the Israelites were gone up to Massepha. Then the children of Israel who had come together said, Speak! Where was this wickedness done?
4Whereupon the man, the Levite, the husband of the woman who was slain, answered and said, I came to Gabaa of Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
5And the men of Gabaa rose upon me, and beset me and the house by night. Me they would have killed, and my concubine they forced so that she died.
6Upon which I took my concubine, and divided her in pieces and sent them through all the borders of the inheritance of the children of Israel. Since they have occasioned a ferment and destruction in Israel,
7behold you are all Israelites; Advise and consult here for yourselves.
8Then all the people arose as one man, and said, We will not, any of us go to his habitation, nor shall any of us return to his house;
9and this is what shall be done to Gabaa; we will go up against it by lot.
10But let us take ten men for the hundreds through all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred for the thousands and a thousand for the ten thousands to collect provisions, and bring them to Gabaa of Benjamin, that we may do to it according to the abominable act which it hath committed in Israel.
11And when all Israel was united against that city, as one man,
12the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this which is done among you?
13Now therefore deliver up those men, those sons of transgressors in Gabaa, that we may put them to death, and purge away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to their brethren the children of Israel.
14Nay the children of Benjamin assembled from their cities to Gabaa, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.
15And the children of Benjamin, who came from their cities, were at that time reviewed, twenty-three thousand men who drew the sword, exclusive of the inhabitants of Gabaa, who were also reviewed.
16Out of all the people seven hundred were selected, who used both hands alike. All these were men who could sling stones to a hair breadth, and not miss.
17Now the men of Israel had been reviewed, exclusive of Benjamin, four hundred thousand men, who drew the sword. All these were men of array.
18And they arose, and went up to Baithel, and inquired of God. And the children of Israel said, Who shall go up as our commander-in-chief to battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said Juda shall go up as commander-in-chief.
19And all the children of Israel arose in the morning, and encamped against Gabaa;
20and all Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and drew up for them before Gabaa.
21And the children of Benjamin sallied from Gabaa, and destroyed of Israel that day on the field of battle twenty-two thousand men.
22But the men of Israel took courage, and proceeded again to set the battle in array in the same place where they had drawn up the first day.
23The sons of Israel had indeed gone up, and wept before the Lord till evening, and inquired of the Lord saying, Shall we again proceed to draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin our brethren? And the Lord said, Go up against them.
24So the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin the second day.
25And the children of Benjamin came out from Gabaa to meet them on the second day, and destroyed of Israel again on the field of battle, eighteen thousand men. All these were men who drew the sword.
26Upon this all the children of Israel, even the whole people went up and came to Baithel, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted the whole day till evening, and offered whole burnt offerings and sacrifices before the Lord.
27For in those days the ark of the covenant of the Lord their God was there,
28and Phineas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, stood before it in those days. And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord saying, Shall we proceed again to go out to battle against the children of Benjamin our brethren? And the Lord said, Go up. To-morrow I will deliver them into your hands.
29Then the children of Israel set men in ambush all around Gabaa.
30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin, the third day, and drew up in array before Gabaa as they had done once and again.
31And the children of Benjamin sallied out to meet the people, and were drawn clean out of the city, and began to smite some of the people dead, as in the first and second engagement in the high ways, which lead up, one to Baithel, and the other to Gabaa, through the fields, about thirty men of Israel.
32And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us, as heretofore. Now the sons of Israel had said, Let us flee, and draw them clean out of the city into the high ways.
33And when they had done so, and every man arose from his place, then they drew up in array at Baal-thamar, and the ambush of Israel came up from their place, from Maraagabo,
34and there came over against Gabaa ten thousand men, chosen out of all Israel; and the battle was fierce, for they did not know that evil was coming upon them.
35And the Lord smote [the tribe of] Benjamin before the children of Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men. All these drew the sword.
36When the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten—now the Israelites had given way to Benjamin because they trusted to the ambush which they had laid for Gabaa;
37but when they retreated, the ambush was put in motion, and rushed forward against Gabaa, and poured into it, and smote the city with the edge of the sword.
38The children of Israel indeed had settled a signal of battle with the ambush, and that they should raise a counter signal of smoke from the city.
39So when the sons of Israel saw that the men in ambush had taken Gabaa, they halted, in order of battle. Now Benjamin had begun to smite dead of the men of Israel about thirty men, for they said, They fall again before us, as in the former engagement.
40But when the counter sign ascended over the city, higher and higher, like a pillar of smoke, Benjamin looked back, and behold, the destruction of the city ascended up to heaven.
41So when Israel faced about, the men of Benjamin were struck with consternation, for they saw that evil was coming upon them,
42and they looked about before the children of Israel, towards the way of the wilderness, and fled. But the battle overtook them.
43And they surrounded and destroyed them who came from the cities. They cut down Benjamin and pursued them closely from Nua to over against Gabaa, towards the rising of the sun,
44and there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men. All these were men of valour.
45Now the rest of them had looked about, and fled towards the wilderness to the rock of Remmon; but of them the children of Israel gleaned up five thousand men. And the children of Israel went down after them to Gedan, and smote of them two thousand men.
46So that all who fell of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who that day drew the sword. All these were men of valour.
47And the remainder, being six hundred men, turned and fled to the wilderness, to the rock of Remmon, and abode at Rock Remmon four months.
48And the children of Israel turned back upon the Benjaminites, and smote them with the edge of the sword, beginning at the city Methla, including cattle and every thing throughout all the cities. And the cities which they came to, they burned with fire.