Then all the children of Israelwent out, and the congregation was gatheredtogether as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.
And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presentedthemselves in the assembly of the people of God, fourhundredthousandfootmenthatdrewsword.
And the men of Gibeahroseagainst me, and beset the houseroundaboutupon me by night, and thought to haveslain me: and my concubinehavetheyforced, that she is dead.
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for theyhavecommittedlewdness and folly in Israel.
And we willtake ten men of an hundredthroughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetchvictual for the people, thatthey may do, whentheycome to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the follythattheyhavewrought in Israel.
Now thereforedeliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put awayevilfromIsrael. But the children of Benjaminwould not hearken to the voice of theirbrethren the children of Israel:
And the children of Benjaminwerenumbered at thattime out of the citiestwenty and six thousand men thatdrewsword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, whichwerenumberedsevenhundredchosen men.
And the children of Israelarose, and went up to the house of God, and askedcounsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battleagainst the children of Benjamin? And the LORDsaid, Judahshall go up first.
(And the children of Israelwent up and weptbefore the LORDuntileven, and askedcounsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battleagainst the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORDsaid, Go up against him.)
And Benjaminwentforthagainstthem out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyeddown to the ground of the children of Israelagaineighteenthousand men; all thesedrew the sword.
Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and cameunto the house of God, and wept, and sat therebefore the LORD, and fastedthat day untileven, and offeredburntofferings and peaceofferingsbefore the LORD.
And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stoodbefore it in thosedays,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battleagainst the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORDsaid, Go up; for to morrow I willdeliverthemintothinehand.
And the children of Benjaminwent out against the people, and weredrawnawayfrom the city; and theybegan to smite of the people, and kill, as at othertimes, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, aboutthirty men of Israel.
And the children of Benjaminsaid, They are smittendownbefore us, as at the first. But the children of Israelsaid, Let us flee, and drawthemfrom the cityunto the highways.
And all the men of Israelrose up out of theirplace, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israelcameforth out of theirplaces, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.
And the LORDsmoteBenjaminbeforeIsrael: and the children of Israeldestroyed of the Benjamitesthat day twenty and fivethousand and an hundred men: all thesedrew the sword.
So the children of Benjamin saw thattheyweresmitten: for the men of Israelgaveplace to the Benjamites, becausetheytrustedunto the liers in waitwhichthey had set besideGibeah.
And when the men of Israelretired in the battle, Benjaminbegan to smite and kill of the men of Israelaboutthirtypersons: for theysaid, Surelythey are smittendownbefore us, as in the firstbattle.
But when the flamebegan to arise up out of the citywith a pillar of smoke, the Benjamiteslookedbehindthem, and, behold, the flame of the cityascended up to heaven.
Thereforetheyturnedtheirbacksbefore the men of Israelunto the way of the wilderness; but the battleovertookthem; and themwhichcame out of the citiestheydestroyed in the midst of them.
And theyturned and fledtoward the wildernessunto the rock of Rimmon: and theygleaned of them in the highwaysfivethousand men; and pursuedhardafterthemuntoGidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
And the men of Israelturnedagainupon the children of Benjamin, and smotethemwith the edge of the sword, as well the men of everycity, as the beast, and all thatcame to hand: alsothey set on fire all the citiesthattheycame to.