Judges 20:4-43

Judges 20:4-43

[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.  [5] And the men  of Gibeah  rose  the house  round about  upon me by night,  and thought  to have slain  me: and my concubine  have they forced,  that she is dead.  [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.  [7] Behold, ye are all children  of Israel;  give  here  your advice  and counsel.  [8] And all the people  arose  as one  man,  saying,  We will not any  to his tent,  neither will we any  of us turn  into his house.  [9] But now this shall be the thing  which we will do  to Gibeah;  we will go up by lot  [10] And we will take  ten  of an hundred  throughout all the tribes  of Israel,  and an hundred  of 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.  [11] So all the men  of Israel  were gathered  against the city,  knit together  as one  man.  [12] And the tribes  of Israel  sent  men  through all the tribe  of Benjamin,  saying,  What wickedness  is this that is done  among you? [13] Now therefore deliver  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:  [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.  [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  men.  [16] Among all this people  there were seven  hundred  men  lefthanded;  every one could sling  stones  at an hair  breadth, and not miss.  [17] And the men  of Israel,  beside Benjamin,  were numbered  four  hundred  thousand  men  that drew  sword:  all these were men  of war.  [18] And the children  of Israel  arose,  and went up  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.  [19] And the children  of Israel  rose up  in the morning,  and encamped  against Gibeah.  [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.  [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.  [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.  [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.) [24] And the children  of Israel  came near  against the children  of Benjamin  the second  day.  [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.  [26] Then all the children  of Israel,  and all the people,  went up,  and came  and wept,  and sat  there before  the LORD,  and fasted  that day  until even,  and offered  burnt offerings  and peace offerings  before  the LORD.  [27] And the children  of Israel  enquired  of the LORD,  (for the ark  of the covenant  of God  was there in those days,  [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.  [29] And Israel  set  liers in wait  round about  Gibeah.  [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.  [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  and the other  to Gibeah  in the field,  about thirty  men  of Israel.  [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.  [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  [34] And there came  against  Gibeah  ten  thousand  men  out of all Israel,  and the battle  was sore:  but they knew  not that evil  was near  them. [35] And the LORD  smote  Benjamin  before  Israel:  and the children  of Israel  destroyed  that day  twenty  and five  thousand  and an hundred  men:  all these drew  the sword.  [36] So the children  of Benjamin  saw  that they were smitten:  for the men  of Israel  gave  place  because they trusted  unto the liers in wait  which they had set  beside Gibeah.  [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.  [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.  [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  before  us, as in the first  battle.  [40] But when the flame  began  to arise up  out of the city  with a pillar  of smoke,  looked  behind  them, and, behold, the flame  of the city  ascended up  to heaven.  [41] And when the men  of Israel  turned again,  the men  of Benjamin  were amazed:  for they saw  that evil  was come  [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  [43] Thus they inclosed  and chased  them, and trode them down  with ease  over against  Gibeah  toward the sunrising.