The Decree of the Assembly

1And 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. 2And all the tribes of Israel stood before the Lord in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. 3And 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? 4And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I and my concubine went to Gabaa of Benjamin to lodge. 5And 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. 6And 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. 7Behold, all ye are children of Israel; and consider and take counsel here among yourselves.

8And 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. 9And now this is the thing which shall be done in Gabaa; we will go up against it by lot. 10Moreover 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. 11And all the men of Israel were gathered to the city as one man.

12And the tribes of Israel sent men through the whole tribe of Benjamin, saying, What is this wickedness that has been wrought among you? 13Now 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. 14And the children of Benjamin were gathered from their cities to Gabaa, to go forth to fight with the children of Israel. 15And 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; 16All these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.

17And the men of Israel, exclusive of Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these were men of war.

Civil War against Benjamin

18And 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.

19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gabaa. 20And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and engaged with them at Gabaa. 21And 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. 22And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day. 23And 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.

Defeat of the Benjamites

24And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin on the second day. 25And 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. 26And 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, 27for the ark of the Lord God was there in those days, 28and 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.

29And the children of Israel set an ambush against Gabaa round about it. 30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and arrayed themselves against Gabaa as before. 31And 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. 32And 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. 33And 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. 34And 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. 35And 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.

36And 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. 37And 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. 38And 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. 39And 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. 40And 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. 41And the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin hasted, because they saw that evil had come upon them. 42And 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. 43And they cut down Benjamin, and pursued him from Nua closely till they came opposite Gabaa on the east. 44And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men: all these were men of might. 45And 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. 46And all that fell of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew sword in that day: all these were men of might. 47And 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. 48And 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.