20:1 And all the children of Israel went
out, and all the congregation was gathered as one man, from Dan even to
Bersabee, and in the land of Galaad, to the Lord at Massepha.
20:2 And all the tribes of Israel stood before the Lord in the assembly of
the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
20:3 And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were
gone up to Massepha: and the children of Israel came and said, Tell us,
where did this wickedness take place?
20:4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and
said, I and my concubine went to Gabaa of Benjamin to lodge.
20:5 And the men of Gabaa rose up against me, and compassed the house by
night against me; they wished to slay me, and they have humbled my
concubine, and she is dead.
20:6 And I laid hold of my concubine, and divided her in pieces, and sent
[the parts] into every coast of the inheritance of the children of Israel;
for they have wrought lewdness and abomination in Israel.
20:7 Behold, all ye [are] children of Israel; and consider and take counsel
here among yourselves.
20:8 And all the people rose up as one man, saying, No one of us shall
return to his tent, and no one of us shall return to his house.
20:9 And now this [is] the thing which shall be done in Gabaa; we will go up
against it by lot.
20:10 Moreover we will take ten men for a hundred for all the tribes of
Israel, and a hundred for a thousand, and a thousand for ten thousand, to
take provision, to cause them to come to Gabaa of Benjamin, to do to it
according to all the abomination, which they wrought in Israel.
20:11 And all the men of Israel were gathered to the city as one man.
20:12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through the whole tribe of Benjamin,
saying, What [is] this wickedness that has been wrought among you?
20:13 Now then give up the men the sons of transgressors that are in Gabaa,
and we will put them to death, and purge out wickedness from Israel: but the
children of Benjamin consented not to hearken to the voice of their brethren
the children of Israel.
20:14 And the children of Benjamin were gathered from their cities to Gabaa,
to go forth to fight with the children of Israel.
20:15 And the children of Benjamin from their cities were numbered in that
day, twenty-three thousand, [every] man drawing a sword, besides the
inhabitants of Gabaa, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men of all the
people, able to use both hands alike;
20:16 All these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.
20:17 And the men of Israel, exclusive of Benjamin, were numbered four
hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these [were] men of war.
20:18 And they arose and went up to Baethel, and enquired of God: and the
children of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first to fight with the
children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Juda shall go up first as leader.
20:19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped
against Gabaa.
20:20 And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and
engaged with them at Gabaa.
20:21 And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gabaa, and they destroyed in
Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men down to the ground.
20:22 And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in
battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day.
20:23 And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord till
evening, and enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw nigh to
battle with our brethren the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up
against them.
20:24 And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin
on the second day.
20:25 And the children of Benjamin went forth to meet them from Gabaa on the
second day, and destroyed of the children of Israel yet further eighteen
thousand men down to the ground: all these drew sword.
20:26 And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to
Baethel; and they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on
that day until evening, and offered whole-burnt-offerings and perfect
sacrifices, before the Lord,
20:27 for the ark of the Lord God [was] there in those days,
20:28 and Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before it in
those days; and the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall
we yet again go forth to fight with our brethren the sons of Benjamin? and
the Lord said, Go up, to-morrow I will give them into your hands.
20:29 And the children of Israel set an ambush against Gabaa round about
[it].
20:30 and the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on
the third day, and arrayed themselves against Gabaa as before.
20:31 And the children of Benjamin went out to meet the people, and were all
drawn out of the city, and began to smite and slay the people as before in
the roads, whereof one goes up to Baethel, and one to Gabaa in the field,
about thirty men of Israel.
20:32 And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us as at the
first: but the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them out from
the city into the roads; and they did so.
20:33 And all the men rose up out of their places, and engaged in Baal
Thamar; and the liers in wait of Israel advanced from their place from
Maraagabe.
20:34 And there came over against Gabaa ten thousand chosen men out of all
Israel; and the fight [was] severe; and they knew not that evil was coming
upon them.
20:35 And the Lord smote Benjamin before the children of Israel; and the
children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin in that day a hundred and
twenty-five thousand men: all these drew sword.
20:36 And the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten; and the men
of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted in the ambuscade
which they had prepared against Gabaa.
20:37 And when they retreated, then the liers in wait rose up, and they
moved toward Gabaa, and the whole ambush came forth, and they smote the city
with the edge of the sword.
20:38 And the children of Israel had a signal of battle with the liers in
wait, that they should send up a signal of smoke from the city.
20:39 And the children of Israel saw that the liers in wait had seized Gabaa,
and they stood in line of battle; and Benjamin began to smite down wounded
ones among the men of Israel about thirty men; for they said, Surely they
fall again before us, as in the first battle.
20:40 And the signal went up increasingly over the city as a pillar of
smoke; and Benjamin looked behind him, and behold the destruction of the
city went up to heaven.
20:41 And the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin hasted,
because they saw that evil had come upon them.
20:42 And they turned to the way of the wilderness from before the children
of Israel, and fled: but the battle overtook them, and they from the cities
destroyed them in the midst of them.
20:43 And they cut down Benjamin, and pursued him from Nua closely till they
came opposite Gabaa on the east.
20:44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men: all these [were] men
of might.
20:45 And the rest turned, and fled to the wilderness to the rock of Remmon;
and the children of Israel picked off of them five thousand men; and the
children of Israel went down after them as far as Gedan, and they smote of
them two thousand men.
20:46 And all that fell of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew
sword in that day: all these were men of might.
20:47 And the rest turned, and fled to the wilderness to the rock of Remmon,
even [six] hundred men; and they sojourned four months in the rock of Remmon.
20:48 And the children of Israel returned to the children of Benjamin, and
smote them with the edge of the sword from the city of Methla, even to the
cattle, and every thing that was found in all the cities: and they burnt
with fire the cities they found. |
20:1 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.
20:2 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.
20:3 (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?
20:4 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.
20:5 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.
20:6 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.
20:7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and
counsel.
20:8 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.
20:9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go
up by lot against it;
20:10 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.
20:11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together
as one man.
20:12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin,
saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?
20:13 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.
20:14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the
cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.
20:15 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.
20:16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded;
every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
20:17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred
thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.
20:18 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.
20:19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped
against Gibeah.
20:20 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.
20:21 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.
20:22 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.
20:23 (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.)
20:24 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin
the second day.
20:25 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.
20:26 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.
20:27 And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the
covenant of God was there in those days,
20:28 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.
20:29 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
20:30 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.
20:31 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.
20:32 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.
20:33 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.
20:34 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.
20:35 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.
20:36 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.
20:37 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.
20:38 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.
20:39 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 smitten down before us, as in the first battle.
20:40 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.
20:41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were
amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.
20:42 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.
20:43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and
trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
20:44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men
of valor.
20:45 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.
20:46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five
thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valor.
20:47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock
Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.
20:48 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. |