The Decree of the Assembly

1And 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 Jehovah, at Mizpeh. 2And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, station themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen drawing sword. 3And the sons of Benjamin hear that the sons of Israel have gone up to Mizpeh. And the sons of Israel say, ‘Speak ye, how hath this evil been?’ 4And the man, the Levite, husband of the woman who hath been murdered, answereth and saith, ‘Into Gibeah (which [is] to Benjamin) I have come, I and my concubine, to lodge; 5and 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 dieth; 6and 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; 7lo, ye [are] all sons of Israel; give for you a word and counsel here.’

8And all the people rise as one man, saying, ‘None of us doth go to his tent, and none of us doth turn aside to his house; 9and now, this [is] the thing which we do to Gibeah—against it by lot! 10and 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 hath done in Israel.’ 11And every man of Israel is gathered unto the city, as one man—companions.

12And the tribes of Israel send men among all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, ‘What [is] this evil which hath been among you? 13And 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; 14and the sons of Benjamin are gathered out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle with the sons of Israel. 15And 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; 16among 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 doth not err.

17And the men of Israel numbered themselves, apart from Benjamin, four hundred thousand men, drawing sword, each of these a man of war.

Civil War against Benjamin

(2 Samuel 2:12-32; 2 Chronicles 13:4-19; Matthew 13:33-33; Luke 13:20-21)

18And they rise and go up to Beth-El, and ask of God, and the sons of Israel say, ‘Who doth go up for us at the commencement to battle with the sons of Benjamin?’ and Jehovah saith, ‘Judah—at the commencement.’

19And the sons of Israel rise in the morning, and encamp against Gibeah, 20and 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, 21and the sons of Benjamin come out from Gibeah, and destroy in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men—to the earth. 22And 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. 23And the sons of Israel go up and weep before Jehovah till the evening, and ask of Jehovah, saying, ‘Do I add to draw nigh to battle with the sons of Benjamin, my brother?’ And Jehovah saith, ‘Go up against him.’

24And the sons of Israel draw near unto the sons of Benjamin on the second day, 25and Benjamin cometh 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. 26And all the sons of Israel go up, even all the people, and come in to Beth-El, and weep, and sit there before Jehovah, and fast on that day till the evening, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. 27And the sons of Israel ask of Jehovah,—and there [is] the ark of the covenant of God in those days, 28and 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 Jehovah saith, ‘Go up, for to-morrow I give him into thy hand.’

29And Israel setteth liers in wait against Gibeah, round about, 30and the sons of Israel go up against the sons of Benjamin, on the third day, and arrange themselves against Gibeah, as time by time. 31And 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. 32And 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.’ 33And 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. 34And 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. 35And Jehovah smiteth 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.

36And 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, 37and the ambush have hasted, and push against Gibeah, and the ambush draweth itself out, and smiteth the whole of the city by the mouth of the sword. 38And 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. 39And the men of Israel turn in battle, and Benjamin hath 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; 40and the volume hath begun to go up from the city—a pillar of smoke—and Benjamin turneth behind, and lo, gone up hath the perfection of the city toward the heavens. 41And the men of Israel have turned, and the men of Benjamin are troubled, for they have seen that the evil hath stricken against them— 42and they turn before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, and the battle hath followed them; and those who [are] from the city are destroying them in their midst; 43they have compassed the Benjamites—they have pursued them—with ease they have trodden them down till over-against Gibeah, at the sun-rising. 44And there fall of Benjamin eighteen thousand men—the whole of these [are] men of valour; 45and 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. 46And all those falling of Benjamin are twenty and five thousand men drawing sword, on that day—the whole of these [are] men of valour; 47and there turn and flee into the wilderness, unto the rock of Rimmon six hundred men, and they dwell in the rock Rimmon four months. 48And 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.