Judges 20:15-40

¹⁵And the children of Benjamin from their cities were numbered in that day, twenty-three thousand, every man drawing a sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men of all the people, able to use both hands alike;

¹⁶all these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss.

¹⁷And the men of Israel, exclusive of Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these were men of war.

¹⁸And they arose and went up to Bethel, and inquired of God: and the children of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first to fight with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first as leader.

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

²⁰And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and engaged with them at Gibeah.

²¹And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gibeah, and they destroyed in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men down to the ground.

²²And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day.

²³And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord till evening, and inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw nigh to battle with our brethren the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up against them.

²⁴And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin on the second day.

²⁵And the children of Benjamin went forth to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and destroyed of the children of Israel yet further eighteen thousand men down to the ground: all these drew sword.

²⁶And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel; and they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on that day until evening, and offered whole burnt offerings and perfect sacrifices, before the Lord,

²⁷for the ark of the Lord God was there in those days,

²⁸and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before it in those days; and the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we yet again go forth to fight with our brethren the sons of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up, tomorrow I will give them into your hands.

²⁹And the children of Israel set an ambush against Gibeah round about it.

³⁰And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as before.

³¹And the children of Benjamin went out to meet the people, and were all drawn out of the city, and began to smite and slay the people as before in the roads, whereof one goes up to Bethel, and one to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

³²And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us as at the first: but the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them out from the city into the roads; and they did so.

³³And all the men rose up out of their places, and engaged in Baal-tamar; and the liers in wait of Israel advanced from their place from Maareh-geba.

³⁴And there came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel; and the fight was severe; and they knew not that evil was coming upon them.

³⁵And the Lord smote Benjamin before the children of Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin in that day a hundred and twenty-five thousand men: all these drew sword.

³⁶And the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten; and the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted in the ambuscade which they had prepared against Gibeah.

³⁷And when they retreated, then the liers in wait rose up, and they moved on toward Gibeah, and the whole ambush came forth, and they smote the city with the edge of the sword.

³⁸And the children of Israel had a signal of battle with the liers in wait, that they should send up a signal of smoke from the city.

³⁹And the children of Israel saw that the liers in wait had seized Gibeah, and they stood in line of battle; and Benjamin began to smite down wounded ones among the men of Israel about thirty men; for they said, Surely they fall again before us, as in the first battle.

⁴⁰And the signal went up increasingly over the city as a pillar of smoke; and Benjamin looked behind him, and behold the destruction of the city went up to heaven.