Israel Wars with the Benjamites
Judges 20, verse 1. All the children of Israel came out; all the congregation from Dan including Bersabee, and from the land of Galaad to the Lord at Mizpah, gathered as one man. Judges 20, verse 2. And all the tribes of Israel stood before the Lord in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword. Judges 20, verse 3. Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. Then the sons of Israel came and said, “Tell us where this wicked deed happened?” Judges 20, verse 4. So the Levite man, the husband of the woman murdered, answered and said, “My concubine and I went into Gibeah of Benjamin to lodge. Judges 20, verse 5. And that night, the men of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but instead they raped my concubine, and as a result she died. Judges 20, verse 6. So I laid hold of my concubine and divided her in pieces, and because they committed lewdness and outrage in Israel, I sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of the children of Israel. Judges 20, verse 7. Look! You are all children of Israel; consider and take counsel here among yourselves.” Judges 20, verse 8. So all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go back to his tent, nor will any turn back to his house. Judges 20, verse 9. Instead, this is what is to be done to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot. Judges 20, verse 10. Moreover, we will take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make provisions for the people to entice them to come to Gibeah in Benjamin, and then do to it all the vileness which it did in Israel.” Judges 20, verse 11. So all the men of Israel gathered in the city as one man. Judges 20, verse 12. Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? Judges 20, verse 13. Now therefore, deliver up the men, the sons of lawlessness in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and put away the evil from Israel!” But the sons of Benjamin were not pleased to hear the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel. Judges 20, verse 14. Instead, the sons of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go into battle against the sons of Israel. Judges 20, verse 15. And from their cities at that time, the sons of Benjamin numbered twenty-three thousand men who drew the sword, not including the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred select men Judges 20, verse 16. from all this people who could use both hands. All these could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. Judges 20, verse 17. The men of Israel, excluding Benjamin, numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war. Judges 20, verse 18. Then the sons of Israel arose and went up to Bethel to inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall first go up to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” The Lord said, “Judah, as leader, will go up first.” Judges 20, verse 19. So the sons of Israel rose in the early morning and encamped against Gibeah. Judges 20, verse 20. And all the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and they engaged them at Gibeah. Judges 20, verse 21. Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day in Israel Benjamin cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites. Judges 20, verse 22. And the men of Israel regrouped and again engaged in battle at the place where they engaged on the first day. Judges 20, verse 23. Then the sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, “Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of Benjamin, our brothers?” And the Lord said, “Go up against them.” Judges 20, verse 24. So the sons of Israel went out to wage war against the sons of Benjamin on the second day. Judges 20, verse 25. And the sons of Benjamin went out to meet those from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword. Judges 20, verse 26. Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and they offered burnt offerings and pure offerings before the Lord, Judges 20, verse 27. because the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days. Judges 20, verse 28. In those days, Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it. And the sons of Israel asked the Lord, saying, “Shall we yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin, our brothers, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hands.” Judges 20, verse 29. Then the sons of Israel positioned themselves for an ambush round about Gibeah. Judges 20, verse 30. And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as before. Judges 20, verse 31. So all the sons of Benjamin went out to meet the people, leaving the city empty. As they did before, they began to strike down and kill some of the people, about thirty men of Israel—on the roads, one heading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah—and in the field. Judges 20, verse 32. And the sons of Benjamin said, “As the first time, they are falling before us.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee so as to draw them out from the city onto the roads.” And so they did. Judges 20, verse 33. So every man rose up from his place and united together at Baal Tamar. And the men of Israel burst forth from their position of ambush at Maaragabeh. Judges 20, verse 34. Ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. And Gibeah did not comprehend the disaster that was coming upon them. Judges 20, verse 35. The Lord struck Benjamin before the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men from Benjamin that day. All these drew the sword. Judges 20, verse 36. So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were beaten, and the men of Israel gave up ground to the Benjamites, for they relied on the ambush they had prepared against Gibeah. Judges 20, verse 37. And as the sons of Israel retreated, those men in ambush rose up and quickly charged Gibeah. The entire ambush rushed forth and struck the city with the edge of the sword. Judges 20, verse 38. And the sons of Israel used a signal of battle with those in ambush. They would send up a signal of smoke from the city. Judges 20, verse 39. And the sons of Israel saw that the ambush had seized Gibeah. So they stood in battle formation, allowing Benjamin to strike and wound about thirty of the men of Israel, for they said, “Surely again they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.” Judges 20, verse 40. But when the signal cloud began to rise as a pillar of concentrated smoke from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them, and behold the complete end of the city was rising up to heaven. Judges 20, verse 41. The men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin hastened away, seeing that evil overwhelmed them. Judges 20, verse 42. Therefore they looked in the direction of the desert, away from the sons of Israel, and fled. But the battle overtook them, and those from the cities utterly eliminated those in the midst of them. Judges 20, verse 43. They cut down the Benjamites, chased them from the foot of Nova, and easily trampled them down until they came opposite Gibeah toward the east. Judges 20, verse 44. And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell—all these were men of strength. Judges 20, verse 45. The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and the sons of Israel cut down five thousand men. The sons of Israel relentlessly pursued after them as far as Gidom, and struck two thousand of their men. Judges 20, verse 46. All of Benjamin who drew the sword that day, and fell, were twenty-five thousand men. All these were men of valor. Judges 20, verse 47. The rest turned and fled toward the desert to the rock of Rimmon, even six hundred men, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. Judges 20, verse 48. And the sons of Israel turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, from the city of Methla, to the livestock, and to everything found in all the cities. And they set on fire all the cities they found.