1Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, to Yehovah at Mizpah. 2And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword. 3(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the children of Israel said, Tell us, how did this wickedness come about? 4And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. 5And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house against me by night; they intended to kill me, and my concubine they violated, and she is dead. 6And 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. 7Behold, you children of Israel, all of you, give here your advice and counsel. 8And all the people arose as one man, saying, None of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us turn to his house. 9But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot; 10and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch provisions for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have done in Israel. 11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. 12And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that has come to pass among you? 13Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers the children of Israel. 14And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. 15And the children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men. 16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen left-handed men; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss. 17And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword: all these were men of war. 18And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin? And Yehovah said, Judah shall go up first. 19And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. 20And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. 21And the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty-two thousand men. 22And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day. 23And the children of Israel went up and wept before Yehovah until evening; and they inquired of Yehovah, saying, Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Yehovah said, Go up against him. 24And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. 25And Benjamin went out 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. 26Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came to Beth-el, and wept, and sat there before Yehovah, and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Yehovah. 27And the children of Israel inquired of Yehovah (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28and 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 Yehovah said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand. 29And Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah. 30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. 31And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to strike and kill of the people, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 32And the children of Benjamin said, They are struck down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways. 33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the men of Israel in ambush broke out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. 34And there came opposite Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce; but they did not know that evil was close on them. 35And Yehovah struck down Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men: all these drew the sword. 36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were struck down; for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah. 37And the men in ambush hurried, and rushed on Gibeah; and the men in ambush moved out, and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 38Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city. 39And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, Surely they are struck down before us, as in the first battle. 40But when the cloud began to rise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and, behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven. 41And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that evil had come on them. 42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them. 43They surrounded the Benjamites, and chased them, and trod them down at their resting-place, as far as opposite Gibeah toward the sunrise. 44And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor. 45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and followed hard after them to Gidom, and struck down two thousand men of them. 46So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor. 47But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and stayed at the rock of Rimmon four months. 48And the men of Israel turned again on the children of Benjamin, and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found: moreover all the cities which they found they set on fire.