Judges Chapter 20

Judges Chapter 20
1 Then all the children of Israel went
out, and the congregation was gathered
together as one man, from Dan to
Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto
the Lord in Mizpeh.
2 And the chief of all the people, and all
the tribes of Israel assembled in the
congregation 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 the children of Israel
said, How is this wickedness
committed?
4 And the same Levite, the woman’s
husband that was slain, answered and
said, I came unto Gibeah that is in
Benjamin with my concubine to lodge, 5
And the men of Gibeah arose against me,
and beset the house round about upon me
by night, thinking to have slain me, and
have forced my concubine that she is
dead.
6 Then 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 abomination and
villainy in Israel.
7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel:
give your advice, and counsel herein. 8
Then all the people arose as one man,
saying, There shall not a man of us go to
his tent, neither any turn into his house.
9 But now this is that thing which we
will do to Gibeah: we will go up by lot
against it,
10 And we will take ten men of the
hundred throughout all the tribes of
Israel, and an hundred of the thousand,
and a thousand of ten thousand to bring
victual for the people that they may do
(when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin)
according to all the villainy, that it hath
done 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
committed among you?
13 Now therefore deliver us those
wicked men which are in Gibeah, that
we may put them to death, and put away
evil from Israel: but the children of
Benjamin would not obey 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 come out and fight against the
children of Israel. 15 And the children of
Benjamin were numbered at that time out
of the cities six and twenty thousand men
that drew sword, beside the inhabitants
of Gibeah, which were numbered seven
hundred chosen men.
16 Of all this people were seven
hundred chosen men, being left handed:
all these could sling stones at an hair
breadth, and not fail.
17 Also the men of Israel, beside
Benjamin, were numbered four hundred
thousand men that drew sword, even all
men of war.
18 And the children of Israel arose, and
went up to the house of God, and asked
of God, saying, Which of us shall go up
first to fight against the children of
Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah
shall be first.
19 Then the children of Israel arose up
early and camped 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
the beside Gibeah. 21 And the children
of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and
slew down to the ground of the Israelites
that day two and twenty thousand men.
22 And the people, the men of Israel
plucked up their hearts, and set their
battle again in array in the place where
they put them in array the first day. 23
(For the children of Israel had gone up
and wept before the Lord unto the
evening, and had asked of the Lord,
saying, Shall I go again to battle against
the children of Benjamin my brethren?
And the Lord said, Go up against them)
24 Then the children of Israel came near
against the children of Benjamin the
second day.
25 Also the second day Benjamin came
forth to meet them out of Gibeah, and
slew down to the ground of the children
of Israel again eighteen thousand men:
all they could handle the sword.
26 Then all the children of Israel went
up and all the people came also unto the
house of God, and wept and sat there
before the Lord and fasted that day unto
the evening, and offered burnt offerings
and peace offerings before the Lord.
27 And the children of Israel asked the
Lord (for there was the ark of the
covenant of God in those days,
28 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the
son of Aaron stood before it at that time)
saying, Shall I yet go any more to battle
against the children of Benjamin my
brethren, or shall I cease? And the Lord
said, Go up: for tomorrow I will deliver
them into your hand.
29 And Israel set men to lie in wait
round about Gibeah.
30 And the children of Israel went up
against the children of Benjamin the
third day, and put themselves in array
against Gibeah, as at other times. 31
Then the children of Benjamin coming
out against the people, were drawn from
the city: and they began to smite of the
people and kill as at other times, even by
the ways in the field (whereof one goeth
up to the house of God, and the other to
Gibeah) upon a thirty men of Israel.
32 (For the children of Benjamin said,
They are fallen before us, as at the first.
But the children of Israel said, Let us
flee and pluck them away 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 Baal-tamar: and the men that lay
in wait of the Israelites came forth of
their place, even out of the meadows of
Gibeah,
34 And they came over against Gibeah,
ten thousand chosen men of all Israel,
and the battle was sore: for they knew
not that the evil was near them. 35 And
the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel,
and the children of Israel destroyed of
the Benjamites the same day five and
twenty thousand and an hundred men: all
they could handle the sword.
36 So the children of Benjamin saw that
they were stricken down: for the men of
Israel gave place to the Benjamites,
because they trusted to the men that lay
in wait, which they had laid beside
Gibeah.
37 And they that lay in wait hasted, and
break forth toward Gibeah, and the
ambushment drew themselves along, and
smote all the city with the edge of the
sword.
38 Also the men of Israel had appointed
a certain time with the ambushments, that
they should make a great flame and
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 stricken
down before us, as in the first battle.
40 But when the flame began to arise out
of the city , as a pillar of smoke, the
Benjamites looked back, and behold, the
flame of the city began to ascend up to
heaven.
41 Then the men of Israel turned again,
and the men of Benjamin were astonied:
for they saw that evil was near unto
them.
42 Therefore they fled before the men of
Israel unto the way of the wilderness,
but the battle overtook them: also they
which came out of the cities, slew them
among them.
43 Thus they compassed the Benjamites
about , and chased them at ease, and
overran them, even over against Gibeah
on the east side.
44 And there were slain of Benjamin
eighteen thousand men, which were all
men of war.
45 And they turned and fled to the
wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon:
and the Israelites gleaned of them by the
way five thousand men, and pursued
after them unto Gidom, and slew two
thousand men of them,
46 So that all that were slain that day of
Benjamin, were five and twenty
thousand men that drew sword, which
were all men of war:
47 But six hundred men turned and fled
to the wilderness unto the rock of
Rimmon, and abode in the rock of
Rimmon four months.
48 Then the men of Israel returned unto
the children of Benjamin, and smote
them with the edge of the sword from the
men of the city unto the beasts, and all
that came to hand: also they set on fire
all the cities that they could come by.