Then all the Israelites ... from Dan to vvv Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out , and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people : 400,000 {} ... ... men on foot , armed with swords.
( Meanwhile the Benjamites ... heard that the Israelites ... had gone up to Mizpah. ) And the Israelites ... asked , “ Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen ? ”
So the Levite , ... the husband of the murdered ... woman , answered : “ I and my concubine came to Gibeah - in Benjamin to spend the night.
And during the night , the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded ... - the house. - They intended to kill me , - but they abused my concubine , and she died.
Then I took my concubine , cut her into pieces , and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance , because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.
Behold , all you Israelites ... , give advice and verdict here and now. ”
Then all the people stood as one man and said , “ Not one ... of us will return to his tent ... (or) ... to his house.
Now this ... is what we will do to Gibeah : We will go against it as the lot dictates.
We will take ten men out of (every) hundred from all the tribes of Israel , and a hundred out of (every) thousand , and a thousand out of (every) ten thousand , to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them vvv for the atrocity - they have committed in Israel. ”
So all the men of Israel gathered as one man , united against the city.
And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin , saying , “ What is this wickedness that has occurred
- Hand over - - the wicked men - of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil. ” But the Benjamites refused ... to heed the voice of their fellow vvv Israelites.
And from their cities (they) ... came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites ....
On that day the Benjamites ... mobilized 26,000 {} ... ... vvv swordsmen ... from their cities , in addition to the 700 ... select men - - of Gibeah.
Among all these soldiers there were 700 ... select left-handers ... ... ... , each of whom ... could sling a stone at a hair without missing.
The Israelites ... , apart from Benjamin , mobilized 400,000 {} ... ... swordsmen ... ... , each one ... an experienced warrior ....
The Israelites ... set out , went up vvv to Bethel , and inquired of God - , “ Who shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites ... ? ” “ Judah will be first ... , ” the LORD replied.
The next morning the Israelites ... set out and camped near Gibeah.
And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin ... ... and took up their battle ... positions - at Gibeah.
And the Benjamites ... came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 {} ... ... vvv Israelites on the battlefield that day.
But the Israelite ... army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves ... on the first day.
They ... went up and wept before the LORD until evening , inquiring of Him - , “ Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites ... ? ” And the LORD answered , “ Go up against them. ”
On the second day the Israelites ... advanced against the Benjamites ....
That same day ... the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 {} ... ... ... Israelites ... - , all of them armed with swords.
Then vvv the Israelites , all the people , went up ... vvv to Bethel , where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
And the Israelites ... inquired of the LORD. ( In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there ,
and Phinehas son of Eleazar , the son of Aaron , served before it. ) ... ... The Israelites asked , “ Should we again ... go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites ... , or should we stop ? ” The LORD answered , “ Fight , for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand. ”
So Israel set up an ambush ... around Gibeah.
On the third day the Israelites ... went up against the Benjamites ... and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before ....
The Benjamites ... came out against (them) and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before ... , killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads , one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.
“ We are defeating them as before ... ... , ” said the Benjamites .... But the Israelites ... said , “ Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads. ”
So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves vvv at Baal-tamar , and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.
Then 10,000 ... select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah , and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster (was) upon them.
The LORD - defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel , and on that day the Israelites ... slaughtered 25100 ... ... ... vvv Benjamites , all ... armed with swords.
Then the Benjamites ... realized - they had been defeated. Now the men of Israel had retreated ... before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush - they had set against Gibeah.
The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah ; they advanced and put - the whole city vvv to the sword.
The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush : When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city ,
the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down , killing about thirty ... ... men of Israel , they said , ... “ They are defeated ... before us as in the first battle. ”
- But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city , the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.
Then the men of Israel turned back on them , and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them.
So they fled before the men of Israel toward ... the wilderness , but the battle overtook them , and the men coming out of the cities struck them down - there.
They surrounded - the Benjamites , pursued them , and easily overtook them in the vicinity ... of Gibeah vvv on the east.
And 18,000 ... ... Benjamites - - fell , all ... men of valor.
Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon , and Israel cut down 5,000 {} ... men on the roads. And they overtook them ... at Gidom and struck down ... 2,000 more. ...
That - day - - 25,000 {} ... ... Benjamite vvv swordsmen ... fell , all ... men of valor.
But 600 ... men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon , where they stayed ... ... four months.
And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites ... and put vvv to the sword all the cities , including the animals ... and everything else they found. And they burned down ... all the cities in their path.