1Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation assembled as one man from Dan as far as Beersheba and the land of Gilead before the LORD at Mizpah.2The leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God—four hundred thousand men on foot drawing the sword.3When the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah, the sons of Israel said, Tell us how this calamity occurred.4The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said, I came with my concubine to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to lodge.5The masters of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house at night; they intended to kill me, and they afflicted my concubine, and she died.6I grasped my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the land of the inheritance of Israel, for they had done wickedness and folly in Israel.7Now all of you sons of Israel, consider the matter and give your counsel here.8So all the people rose as one man and declared, None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house.9And now this is the matter that we will do to Gibeah: we will proceed against her by lot.10We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to obtain supplies for the army when they go to Geba of Benjamin, to repay the outrage that was committed in Israel.11So every man of Israel gathered to the city as one united body.12The tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribes of Benjamin with this message: What is this terrible thing that has happened among you?13Now give up the men, the worthless men who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel. But the sons of Benjamin were not willing to listen to the voice of their brothers the sons of Israel.14The sons of Benjamin assembled from their cities at Gibeah to march out to battle against the sons of Israel.15On that day the sons of Benjamin were mustered from the cities: twenty-six thousand men drawing the sword, apart from the inhabitants of Gibeah who were mustered, seven hundred chosen men.16From all this people were seven hundred chosen men, left-handed; each could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.17The men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, were mustered: four hundred thousand men drawing the sword; all these were men of battle.18And they arose and went up to Bethel and asked of God, and the sons of Israel said, Who shall go up for us at the beginning to the battle with the sons of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah at the beginning.19The sons of Israel rose early the next morning and encamped opposite Gibeah.20The men of Israel advanced to battle against Benjamin and took up positions against Gibeah.21The sons of Benjamin came out from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand men of Israel on that day to the ground.22But the people, the men of Israel, strengthened themselves and again arranged battle in the place where they had arranged on the first day.23And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening and asked of the LORD, saying, Shall I again approach to the battle with the sons of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.24So the sons of Israel advanced against the sons of Benjamin on the second day.25Benjamin came out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day and again struck down eighteen thousand men of Israel to the ground; all these were drawing the sword.26Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up to Bethel, where they wept, sat before the LORD, and fasted until evening; afterward they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD.27The sons of Israel inquired of the LORD, for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days.28Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron ministered before the ark in those days. They asked, Shall we go out once more to battle against our brother Benjamin, or shall we stop? The LORD answered, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hands.29Israel set ambushers toward Gibeah round about.30On the third day the sons of Israel advanced against Benjamin and took up positions at Gibeah as before.31The sons of Benjamin came out to meet the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike down some of the people, slain ones, as at other times, on the highways that go up to Bethel and to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.32The sons of Benjamin said, They are being routed before us as at first. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee and lure them away from the city onto the roads.33All the men of Israel rose from their place and arranged themselves at Baal-tamar, and the ambush of Israel burst out from its place west of Gibeah.34Ten thousand chosen men from all Israel now came from the west of Gibeah; the battle was fierce, and the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was closing in on them.35The LORD struck Benjamin before the face of Israel, and the sons of Israel ruined twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin on that day; all these were drawing the sword.36When the sons of Benjamin saw that they were beaten, the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah.37The ambush hastened and rushed upon Gibeah, and the ambush drew out and struck the whole city to the edge of the sword.38The men of Israel had arranged with the ambush that a great cloud of smoke should rise from the city as their signal.39When the men of Israel wheeled about in the battle, Benjamin began to cut down about thirty Israelites, supposing they were again being routed as in the earlier fighting.40The signal began to go up from the city, a pillar of smoke, and Benjamin turned behind him, and behold, the whole city went up to heaven.41The men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized disaster had overtaken them.42They turned before the men of Israel toward the way of the wilderness, and the battle overtook them, and those from the cities were destroying them in its midst.43They surrounded Benjamin, pursued him, and trod him down as far as before Gibeah toward the sunrise.44From Benjamin fell eighteen thousand men, all these men of valor.45They turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they gleaned five thousand men on the highways, and pursued after them as far as Gidom and struck two thousand men from them.46All the fallen from Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men drawing the sword on that day; all these were men of valor.47They turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; six hundred men remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.48The men of Israel returned to the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, from city to livestock to all that was found; also all the cities that were found they set on fire.