-
Then all
the children of Israel went out, and the
congregation was gathered together as one man,
from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of
Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.
02 And the chief of all the people, even of all
the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the
assembly of the people of God, four hundred
thousand footmen that drew sword.
03 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the
children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then
said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was
this wickedness?
04 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.
05 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and
beset the house round about upon me by night, and
thought to have slain me: and my concubine have
they forced, that she is dead.
06 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.
07 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give
here your advice and counsel.
08 And all the people arose as one man, saying,
We will not any of us go to his tent, neither
will we any of us turn into his house.
09 But now this shall be the thing which we will
do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;
10 And we will take ten men of an hundred
throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an
hundred of a thousand, and 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 us the men, 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 chosen men.
16 Among all this people there were seven hundred
chosen 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
to the house 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 unto the house of God,
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 to the house of God, 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 of Gibeah.
34 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand
chosen 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 of the
Benjamites 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 to the
Benjamites, 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 they are smitten down 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, the Benjamites
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 upon them.
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 of
them.
43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about,
and chased them, and trode them down with ease
over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand
men; all these were men of valour.
45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness
unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them
in the highways five thousand men; and pursued
hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand
men of them.
46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin
were twenty and five thousand men that drew the
sword; all these were men of valour.
47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the
wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the
rock Rimmon four months.
48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the
children of Benjamin, and smote them with the
edge of the sword, as well the men of every city,
as the beast, and all that came to hand: also
they set on fire all the cities that they came
to.
__________________________________ |
