Judges 20

Resolve to Punish the Guilty

1Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one person to the Lord at 1Mizpah. 2And the 2leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot 3soldiers 4who drew the sword. 3(Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this wickedness take place?” 4So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. 5But the 56citizens of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night, 7threatening me. They intended to kill me; instead, they 8raped my concubine so that she died. 6And I 9took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for 10they have committed an outrageous sin and vile act in Israel. 7Behold, all you sons of Israel, 11give your 12response and advice here.”

8Then all the people rose up as one person, saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us go home. 9But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot. 10And we will take ten men out of a hundred throughout the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand to 13supply provisions for the people, so that when they come to 14Gibeah of Benjamin, they may 15punish them for all the vile sin that they have committed in Israel.” 11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, 16united as one man.

12Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire 17tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has taken place among you? 13Now then, turn over the men, the 1819worthless men who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and 20remove this wickedness from Israel.” But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. 14Instead, the sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. 15From the cities on that day the 21sons of Benjamin were 22counted, twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were 23counted, seven hundred choice men. 16Out of all these people seven hundred 24choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were 25counted, four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.

Civil War, Benjamin Defeated

18Now the sons of Israel set out, went up to Bethel, and 26inquired of God and said, “Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” Then the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”

19So the sons of Israel got up in the morning and camped against Gibeah. 20The men of Israel went to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel lined up for battle against them at Gibeah. 21Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and 2728struck to the ground on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel. 22But the people, the men of Israel, showed themselves courageous and lined up for battle again in the place where they had lined themselves up on the first day. 23And 29the sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and 30inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall we again advance for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”

24So the sons of Israel 31came against the sons of Benjamin on the second day. 25And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and struck to the ground again eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel; all of these drew the sword. 26Then 32all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel, and they wept and remained there before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27And the sons of Israel 33inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I stop?” And the Lord said, “Go up, 34for tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

2935So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. 30And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and lined up against Gibeah as at other times. 3136When the sons of Benjamin went out against the people, they were lured away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the roads (one of which goes up to Bethel, and the other to Gibeah), and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 32And the sons of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, like the first time.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let’s flee, so that we may draw them away from the city to the roads.” 33Then all the men of Israel rose from their place and lined up at Baal-tamar; 37and the men of Israel in ambush charged from their place, from Maareh-geba. 34When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became 38fierce; 39but 40Benjamin did not know that disaster was 41close to them. 35And the Lord struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that 42day, all who drew the sword.

36So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were 43defeated. 44When the men of Israel gave 45ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, 3746the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 38Now the agreed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was 47that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city. 39Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, 48for they said, “Undoubtedly they are 49defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 40But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked 50behind them; and behold, the entire city was going up in smoke to heaven. 41Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that 51disaster was 52close to them. 42Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel to flee in the 53direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who attacked from the cities were annihilating them in the midst of them. 4354They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest, and trampled them down opposite Gibeah toward the 55east. 44So eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all of these were valiant men. 4556The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of 57Rimmon, but they 58caught five thousand of them on the roads and overtook them 59at Gidom, and 60killed two thousand of them. 46So all those of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were valiant men. 47But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. 48The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found.