The Decree of the Assembly

1Then all the Israelites (God prevails) from Dan (He has judged) to Beersheba (well of seven) and from the land of Gilead (rocky region) came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD {YHWH} at Mizpah (watchtower). 2The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel (he wrestles with God) presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords. 3(Meanwhile the Benjamites (son of the right hand) heard that the Israelites (God prevails) had gone up to Mizpah (watchtower).) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”

4So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah (hill) in Benjamin (son of the right hand) to spend the night. 5And during the night, the men of Gibeah (hill) rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died. 6Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s (he wrestles with God) inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. 7Behold, all you⁺ Israelites (God prevails), give your⁺ advice and verdict here and now.”

8Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house. 9Now this is what we will do to Gibeah (hill): We will go against it as the lot dictates. 10We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel (he wrestles with God), and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah [Geba, a variant of Gibeah]a in Benjamin (son of the right hand) to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”

11So all the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) gathered as one man, united against the city. 12And the tribes of Israel (he wrestles with God) sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin (son of the right hand), saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you⁺? 13Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah (hill) so we can put them to death and purge Israel (he wrestles with God) of this evil.”

But the Benjamites (son of the right hand) refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites. 14And from their cities they (son of the right hand) came together at Gibeah (hill) to go out and fight against the Israelites (God prevails). 15On that day the Benjamites (son of the right hand) mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah (hill). 16Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.

17The Israelites (God prevails), apart from Benjamin (son of the right hand), mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.

Civil War against Benjamin

18The Israelites (God prevails) set out, went up to Bethel (house of God), and inquired of God {Elohim}, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites (son of the right hand)?”

“Judah will be first (praised),” the LORD {YHWH} replied.

19The next morning the Israelites (God prevails) set out and camped near Gibeah (hill). 20And the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) went out to fight against Benjamin (son of the right hand) and took up their battle positions at Gibeah (hill).

21And the Benjamites (son of the right hand) came out of Gibeah (hill) and cut down 22,000 Israelites (God prevails) on the battlefield that day.

22But the Israelite (he wrestles with God) army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day. 23They (he wrestles with God) went up and wept before the LORD {YHWH} until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites (son of the right hand)?”

And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”

24On the second day the Israelites (God prevails) advanced against the Benjamites (son of the right hand). 25That same day the Benjamites (son of the right hand) came out against them from Gibeah (hill) and cut down another 18,000 Israelites (God prevails), all of them armed with swords.

26Then the Israelites (God prevails), all the people, went up to Bethel (house of God), where they sat weeping before the LORD {YHWH}. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. 27And the Israelites (God prevails) inquired of the LORD {YHWH}. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God {Elohim} was there, 28and Phinehas (mouth of brass) son of Eleazar (God has helped), the son of Aaron (light bringer), served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites (son of the right hand), or should we stop?”

The LORD {YHWH} answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

29So Israel (he wrestles with God) set up an ambush around Gibeah (hill). 30On the third day the Israelites (God prevails) went up against the Benjamites (son of the right hand) and arrayed themselves against Gibeah (hill) as they had done before. 31The Benjamites (son of the right hand) came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel (he wrestles with God) in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel (house of God) and the other to Gibeah (hill).

32“We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites (son of the right hand).

But the Israelites (God prevails) said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”

33So all the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar (lord of the palms), and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah [charged from their positions in Maareh-geba].b 34Then 10,000 select men from all Israel (he wrestles with God) made a frontal assault against Gibeah (hill), and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them. 35The LORD {YHWH} defeated Benjamin (son of the right hand) in the presence of Israel (he wrestles with God), and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. 36Then the Benjamites (son of the right hand) realized they had been defeated.

Now the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah (hill). 37The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah (hill); they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.

38The men of Israel (he wrestles with God) had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, 39the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) would turn in the battle.

When the Benjamites (son of the right hand) had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.” 40But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites (son of the right hand) looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.

41Then the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin (son of the right hand) were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them. 42So they fled before the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there. 43They surrounded the Benjamites (son of the right hand), pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah (hill) on the east. 44And 18,000 Benjamites (son of the right hand) fell, all men of valor.

45Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon (pomegranate), and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom (a cutting down) and struck down 2,000 more.

46That day 25,000 Benjamite (son of the right hand) swordsmen fell, all men of valor. 47But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon (pomegranate), where they stayed four months. 48And the men of Israel (he wrestles with God) turned back against the other Benjamites (son of the right hand) and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.