1 Then all the Israelites went out, and the entire assembly came together as one man, from Dan to Beersheba and the land of Gilead, to the LORD at Mizpah.

Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.

2 The leaders of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, took their positions in the assembly of the people of God—four hundred thousand soldiers armed with swords.

And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

3 The people of Benjamin heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites said, "Tell us, how did this terrible crime happen?"

(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?

4 The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, "My concubine and I came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.

And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

5 While we were there, the men of Gibeah attacked me. They surrounded the house during the night and intended to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died.

And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

6 I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel because they committed a vile and disgraceful act in Israel.

And 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 lewdness and folly in Israel.

7 Now, all you Israelites, give your verdict and advice here and now.

Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

8 All the people stood together as one and said, "None of us will go to his tent or turn back to his house.

And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.

9 This is what we will do to Gibeah: We will decide by casting lots.

But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;

10 We will take ten men out of every hundred, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand across all the tribes of Israel. They will gather provisions for the army, so we can act against Gibeah in Benjamin for their disgraceful act in Israel.

And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

11 So all the men of Israel were united together as one man against the city.

So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this awful crime that has been committed among you?"

And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?

13 Now hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.

Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

14 Instead, the Benjaminites gathered from their cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the Israelites.

But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

15 On that day, the Benjaminites mustered twenty-six thousand men armed with swords from their towns, not counting the seven hundred elite troops from Gibeah.

And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

16 Among all these were seven hundred elite troops who were left-handed, each of them able to sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

17 The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand soldiers armed with swords, all experienced warriors.

And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

18 The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, "Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjaminites?" The LORD replied, "Judah shall go first."

And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.

19 The next morning the Israelites got up and camped near Gibeah.

And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

20 The Israelites went out to fight the Benjaminites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah.

And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.

21 The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.

And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.

22 But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day.

And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

23 The Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and they inquired of the LORD. They asked, "Shall we go up again to wage war against the Benjaminites, our brothers?" The LORD answered, "Go up against them."

(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

24 Then the Israelites approached the Benjaminites on the second day.

And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.

25 On the second day, the Benjaminites came out from Gibeah to meet the Israelites and struck down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords.

And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

26 Then all the Israelites, the entire army, went up to Bethel, wept, sat before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening. They offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD.

Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

27 And the Israelites inquired of the LORD (the Ark of the Covenant of God was there in those days),

And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was ministering before it. They asked, "Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjaminites, our brothers, or shall we stop?" The LORD answered, "Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands."

And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

29 Then Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

30 On the third day, the Israelites went up against the Benjaminites and took up their positions against Gibeah, as they had done before.

And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

31 The Benjaminites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as they had done before—about thirty men—in the open country, on the roads leading to Bethel and Gibeah.

And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

32 The Benjaminites thought, "We are defeating them as before." But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads."

And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.

33 All the men of Israel rose up from their places and took their positions at Baal Tamar, while the Israelite ambush broke out of its place west of Gibeah.

And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.

34 Ten thousand of Israel's finest men advanced against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was closing in on them.

And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.

35 The LORD struck down Benjamin before Israel, and the Israelites killed twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjaminites that day, all armed with swords.

And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

36 Then the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated. The Israelites had given ground to the Benjaminites because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah.

So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

37 The men in ambush hurried and rushed upon Gibeah. They spread out and struck the entire city with the sword.

And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

38 The appointed signal between the men of Israel and the ambush was to send up a great column of smoke from the city.

Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

39 When the Israelites turned in the battle, the Benjaminites had begun killing about thirty Israelites and thought, 'We are defeating them as in the first battle.'

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 smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

40 But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjaminites turned back and saw the entire city going up in smoke toward the sky.

But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

41 Then the Israelites turned on them, and the Benjaminites were terrified because they saw that disaster had overtaken them.

And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.

42 They fled before the Israelites toward the wilderness, but they were overtaken, and those who came out of the cities destroyed them.

Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

43 They surrounded the Benjaminites, pursued them, and overran them until they were opposite Gibeah on the east side.

Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

44 Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all valiant warriors.

And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

45 The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, but the Israelites killed five thousand of them along the roads. They pursued them as far as Gidom and struck down another two thousand.

And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

46 That day, twenty-five thousand sword-wielding men of Benjamin fell, all of them valiant warriors.

So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed for four months.

But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

48 The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put the cities to the sword, including the people, livestock, and everything they found. They also set fire to all the cities they came upon.

And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.