1 THEN all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.
2 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.
3 (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?
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 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.
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 of us go 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 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 inquired 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 Baal-tamar: 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.

1Then all the children of Israel went out, and the Congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan euen to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, vnto the Lord in Mizpeh.

2And the chiefe of al the people, euen of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselues in the assembly of the people of God, foure hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

3(Now the children of Beniamin heard that the children of Israel were gone vp to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell vs, how was this wickednesse?

4And the Leuite the husband of the woman that was slaine, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Beniamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

5And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about vpon me by night, and thought to haue slaine mee, and my concubine haue they forced that she is dead.

6And I tooke my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the countrey of the inheritance of Israel: for they haue committed lewdnesse and folly in Israel.

7Behold, ye are all children of Israel, giue here your aduise and counsell.

8 And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of vs goe to his tent, neither will wee any of vs turne into his house:

9But now, this shall bee the thing which we will doe to Gibeah, we will goe vp by lot against it:

10And we wil take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuall for the people, that they may doe, when they come to Gibeah of Beniamin, according to all the folly that they haue wrought in Israel.

11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the citie, knit together as one man.

12 And the tribes of Israel sent men thorow all the tribe of Beniamin, saying, What wickednesse is this that is done among you?

13Now therfore deliuer vs the men, the children of Belial which are in Gibeah, that wee may put them to death, and put away euill from Israel: but the children of Beniamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.

14But the children of Beniamin gathered themselues together out of the cities, vnto Gibeah, to goe out to battell against the children of Israel.

15And the children of Beniamin were numbred at that time out of the cities, twentie and sixe thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbred seuen hundred chosen men.

16Among all this people there were seuen hundred chosen men left handed, euery one could sling stones at an haire breadth, and not misse.

17And the men of Israel, beside Beniamin, were numbred foure hundred thousand men that drewe sword; all these were men of warre.

18 And the children of Israel arose, and went vp to the house of God, and asked counsell of God, and saide, Which of vs shall goe vp first to the battell against the children of Beniamin? And the Lord said, Iudah shall goe vp first.

19And the children of Israel rose vp in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

20And the men of Israel went out to battell against Beniamin, and the men of Israel put themselues in aray to fight against them at Gibeah.

21And the children of Beniamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroied downe to the ground of the Israelites that day, twenty & two thousand men.

22And the people the men of Israel incouraged themselues, & set their battel againe in aray, in the place where they put themselues in aray the first day.

23(And the children of Israel went vp and wept before the Lord vntill Euen, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I goe vp againe to battell against the children of Beniamin my brother? And the Lord saide, Goe vp against him.)

24And the children of Israel came neere against the children of Beniamin, the second day.

25And Beniamin went foorth against them out of Gibeah the second day, & destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel againe, eighteene thousand men, all these drew the sword.

26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people went vp, and came vnto the house of God, and wept, and sate there before the Lord, and fasted that day vntill Euen, and offered burnt offerings, and peace offerings before the Lord.

27And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, (for the Arke of þe couenant of God was there in those daies,

28And Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron stood before it in those dayes.) saying; Shall I yet againe goe out to battel against the children of Beniamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Goe vp; for to morrow I will deliuer them into thine hand.

29And Israel set lyers in waite round about Gibeah.

30And the children of Israel went vp against the children of Beniamin on the third day, and put themselues in aray against Gibeah, as at other times.

31And the children of Beniamin went out against the people, and were drawen away from the citie, and they began to smite of the people and kill as at other times, in the high wayes, of which one goeth vp to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirtie men of Israel.

32And the children of Beniamin said, They are smitten downe before vs, as at the first: But the children of Israel said, Let vs flee, and draw them from the citie, vnto the high wayes.

33And all the men of Israel rose vp out of their place, and put themselues in aray at Baal Tamar: and the lyers in waite of Israel came foorth out of their places, euen out of the medowes of Gibeah.

34And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men, out of all Israel, and the battell was sore: but they knew not that euill was neere them.

35And the Lord smote Beniamin before Israel, and the children of Israel destroyed of the Beniamites that day, twentie and fiue thousand, and an hundred men; all these drew the sword.

36So the children of Beniamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gaue place to the Beniamites, because they trusted vnto the lyers in wait, which they had set beside Gibeah.

37And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed vpon Gibeah, and the liers in wait drew themselues along, and smote all the citie with the edge of the sword.

38Nowe there was an appointed signe between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise vp out of the citie.

39And when the men of Israel retired in the battell, Beniamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirtie persons; for they saide, Surely they are smitten downe before vs, as in the first battell.

40But when the flame began to arise vp out of the citie, with a pillar of smoke, the Beniamites looked behind them, and behold, the flame of the citie ascended vp to heauen.

41And when the men of Israel turned againe, the men of Beniamin were amased; for they saw that euill was come vpon them.

42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel, vnto þe way of the wildernes, but the battel ouertooke them: & them which came out of the cities, they destroyed in the midst of them.

43Thus they inclosed the Beniamites round about, and chased them, and trode them downe with ease ouer against Gibeah toward the sunne rising.

44And there fell of Beniamin eighteene thousand men; all these were men of valour.

45And they turned and fled toward the wildernesse vnto the rocke of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the high wayes fiue thousand men: and pursued hard after them vnto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

46So that all which fell that day of Beniamin, were twentie and fiue thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

47But sixe hundred men turned and fledde to the wildernesse vnto the rocke Rimmon, and abode in the rocke Rimmon foure moneths.

48And the men of Israel turned againe vpon the children of Beniamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of euery citie, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

I == Deut 13:12 ; Josh 22:12 ; Judg 10:17 ; 11:11 ; 18:29 ; 21:5 ; 1st Sam 3:20 ; 7:5 ; 10:17 ; 11:7 ; 2nd Sam 3:10 ; 24:2

II == Judg 8:10

 

 

 

 

 

IV == Judg 19:15

 

 

V == Judg 19:22 , 25-26

VI == Josh 7:15 ; Judg 19:29

 

 

 

 

VII == Judg 19:30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XII == Deut 13:14 ; Josh 22:13 , 16

 

XIII == Deut 13:13 ; 17:12 ; Judg 19:22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVI == Judg 3:15 ; 1st Chr 12:2

 

 

 

 

XVIII == Num 27:21 ; Judg 1:1 ; 20:23 , 26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXI == Gen 49:27

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXIII == Judg 20:26-27

 

 

 

 

 

XXV == Judg 20:21

 

 

XXVI == Judg 20:18

 

 

 

 

XXVII == Josh 18:1 ; 1st Sam 4:3-4

XXVIII == Deut 10:8 ; 18:5 ; Josh 24:33

 

 

 

XXIX == Josh 8:4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXIV == Josh 8:14 ; Isa 47:11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXVI == Josh 8:15

 

 

XXXVII == Josh 6:5 ; 8:19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XL == Josh 8:20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XLV == Josh 15:32

 

 

 

 

 

XLVII == Judg 21:13

 

 

 

 

1 So all the Israelites came out as one man: from Dan to Beer-sheba, and from the land of Gilead, the community was gathered to the LORD at Mizpah.

2 The leaders of all the people and all the tribesmen of Israel, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who were swordsmen, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God.

3 Meanwhile, the Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites asked to be told how the crime had taken place,

4 and the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, testified: "My concubine and I went into Gibeah of Benjamin for the night.

5 But the citizens of Gibeah rose up against me by night and surrounded the house in which I was. Me they attempted to kill, and my concubine they abused so that she died.

6 So I took my concubine and cut her up and sent her through every part of the territory of Israel, because of the monstrous crime they had committed in Israel.

7 Now that you are all here, O Israelites, state what you propose to do."

8 All the people rose as one man to say, "None of us is to leave for his tent or return to his home.

9 Now as for Gibeah, this is what we will do: We will proceed against it by lot,

10 taking from all the tribes of Israel ten men for every hundred, a hundred for every thousand, a thousand for every ten thousand, and procuring supplies for the soldiers who will go to deal fully and suitably with Gibeah of Benjamin for the crime it committed in Israel."

11 When, therefore, all the men of Israel without exception were leagued together against the city,

12 the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin to say, "What is this evil which has occurred among you?

13 Now give up these corrupt men of Gibeah, that we may put them to death and thus purge the evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites refused to accede to the demand of their brothers, the Israelites.

14 Instead, the Benjaminites assembled from their other cities to Gibeah, to do battle with the Israelites.

15 The number of the Benjaminite swordsmen from the other cities on that occasion was twenty-six thousand, in addition to the inhabitants of Gibeah.

16 Included in this total were seven hundred picked men who were left-handed, every one of them able to sling a stone at a hair without missing.

17 Meanwhile the other Israelites who, without Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen ready for battle,

18 moved on to Bethel and consulted God. When the Israelites asked who should go first in the attack on the Benjaminites, the LORD said, "Judah shall go first."

19 The next day the Israelites advanced on Gibeah with their forces.

20 On the day the Israelites drew up in battle array at Gibeah for the combat with Benjamin,

21 the Benjaminites came out of the city and felled twenty-two thousand men of Israel.

23 Then the Israelites went up and wept before the LORD until evening. "Shall I again engage my brother Benjamin in battle?" they asked the LORD; and the LORD answered that they should.

22 But though the Israelite soldiers took courage and again drew up for combat in the same place as on the previous day,

24 when they met the Benjaminites for the second time,

25 once again the Benjaminites who came out of Gibeah against them felled eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them swordsmen.

26 So the entire Israelite army went up to Bethel, where they wept and remained fasting before the LORD until evening of that day, besides offering holocausts and peace offerings before the LORD.

27 When the Israelites consulted the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

28 and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was ministering to him in those days), and asked, "Shall I go out again to battle with Benjamin, my brother, or shall I desist?" the LORD said, "Attack! for tomorrow I will deliver him into your power."

29 So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.

30 The Israelites went up against the Benjaminites for the third time and formed their line of battle at Gibeah as on other occasions.

31 The Benjaminites went out to meet them, and in the beginning they killed off about thirty of the Israelite soldiers in the open field, just as on the other occasions.

32 Therefore the Benjaminites thought, "We are defeating them as before"; not realizing that disaster was about to overtake them. The Israelites, however, had planned the flight so as to draw them away from the city onto the highways. They were drawn away from the city onto the highways, of which the one led to Bethel, the other to Gibeon.

33 And then all the men of Israel rose from their places. They re-formed their ranks at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush rushed from their place west of Gibeah,

34 ten thousand picked men from all Israel, and advanced against the city itself. In a fierce battle,

35 the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel; and on that day the Israelites killed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them swordsmen.

36 To the Benjaminites it had looked as though the enemy were defeated, for the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, trusting in the ambush they had set at Gibeah.

37 But then the men in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, overran it, and put the whole city to the sword.

38 Now, the other Israelites had agreed with the men in ambush on a smoke signal they were to send up from the city.

39 And though the men of Benjamin had begun by killing off some thirty of the men of Israel, under the impression that they were defeating them as surely as in the earlier fighting, the Israelites wheeled about to resist

40 as the smoke of the signal column began to rise up from the city. It was when Benjamin looked back and saw the whole city in flames against the sky

41 that the men of Israel wheeled about. Therefore the men of Benjamin were thrown into confusion, for they realized the disaster that had overtaken them.

42 They retreated before the men of Israel in the direction of the desert, with the fight being pressed against them. In their very midst, meanwhile, those who had been in the city were spreading destruction.

43 The men of Benjamin had been surrounded, and were now pursued to a point east of Gibeah,

44 while eighteen thousand of them fell, warriors to a man.

45 The rest turned and fled through the desert to the rock Rimmon. But on the highways the Israelites picked off five thousand men among them, and chasing them up to Gidom, killed another two thousand of them there.

46 Those of Benjamin who fell on that day were in all twenty-five thousand swordsmen, warriors to a man.

47 But six hundred others who turned and fled through the desert reached the rock Rimmon, where they remained for four months.

48 The men of Israel withdrew through the territory of the Benjaminites, putting to the sword the inhabitants of the cities, the livestock, and all they chanced upon. Moreover they destroyed by fire all the cities they came upon.

v 1-7. The people rose in indignation and 400,000 soldiers from all over Israel gathered. The tribe of Benjamin had heard about it and had received one of the body portions, but they did not attend. The Levite gave a factual presentation of what had happened, but failed to mention his own cowardice in personally sending out the concubine to the attackers. After presenting his case, he leaves it up to the others what action to take.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 8-11. They unanimously decided to prepare for battle, setting aside ten per cent of there number to obtain food supplies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 12-17. They first tried a negotiated settlement. All the Benjamites had to do was turn over the wicked molesters to be put to death. It is bad to sin, but even worse to defend it. The men of Benjamin were more interested in protecting their wicked relatives than in putting away evil out of Israel, so they assembled 26,000 men to do battle with the 400,000 Israelite valiant soldiers.  (700 of Benjamin were left handed and could sling stones at a hairs breath and not miss, and David must have had that precision when he went after Goliath.)

 

 

 

 

 

v 18-25. Israel inquired of God and Judah was to lead the charge, but they lost 22,000 men the first day. In distress they called upon God about going to battle against a fellow Israelite, and they were again instructed to go up, but they lost 18,000 men. This is reminiscent of the Civil War, when the North was on the side of right, but suffered multiple losses, as God was bringing judgment upon North for their own wickedness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 26. The ark and the priest, Phinehas were there, so they again called upon the Lord, but this time He assured them of victory.

 

v 27-46. Some military leaders may have remembered  previous victories, so this time they set an ambush. When Israel started to flee, losing 30 men, Benjamin lost caution and 10,000 ambushers prepared to attack from the rear. Additional ambushers entered the city and set it on fire. This was the signal for the main body to counterattack, and in the battle, Benjamin lost 18,000 men. In their flight they lost 5000 more, and and before they could seek shelter at Rock Rimmon, they lost 2000 more, or a total of 25,000 men, or 25,100, verse 35. v 27,28. Only 600 men of Benjamin survived, and they remained hidden at Rock Rimmon four months. Since Benjamin had been so wicked, the rest of Israel went through the country killing all the people who remained as well as the animals, just as they were supposed to do to the wicked heathen of the land when they possessed it.