Judges 20:3-36

³And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Massepha: and the children of Israel came and said, Tell us, where did this wickedness take place?

⁴And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I and my concubine went to Gabaa of Benjamin to lodge.

⁵And the men of Gabaa rose up against me, and compassed the house by night against me; they wished to kill me, and they have humbled my concubine, and she is dead.

⁶And I laid hold of my concubine, and divided her in pieces, and sent the parts into every coast of the inheritance of the children of Israel; for they have wrought lewdness and abomination in Israel.

⁷Behold, all you° are children of Israel; and consider and take counsel here among yourselves.

⁸And all the people rose up as one man, saying, No one of us shall return to his tent, and no one of us shall return to his house.

⁹And now this is the thing which shall be done in Gabaa; we will go up against it by lot.

¹⁰Moreover we will take ten men for a hundred for all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred for a thousand, and a thousand for ten thousand, to take provision, to cause them to come to Gabaa of Benjamin, to do to it according to all the abomination, which they wrought in Israel.

¹¹And all the men of Israel were gathered to the city as one man.

¹²And the tribes of Israel sent men through the whole tribe of Benjamin, saying, What is this wickedness that has been wrought among you?

¹³Now then give up the men the sons of transgressors that are in Gabaa, and we will put them to death, and purge out wickedness from Israel: but the children of Benjamin consented not to listen to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.

¹⁴And the children of Benjamin were gathered from their cities to Gabaa, to go forth to fight with the children of Israel.

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 Gabaa, 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 Baethel, and enquired 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, Juda shall go up first as leader.

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

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

²¹And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gabaa, 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 enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw near 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 Gabaa 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 Baethel; 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 Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before it in those days; and the children of Israel enquired 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, to-morrow I will give them into your hands.

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

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

³¹And the children of Benjamin went out to meet the people, and were all drawn out of the city, and began to strike and kill the people as before in the roads, whereof one goes up to Baethel, and one to Gabaa 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 Thamar; and the liers in wait of Israel advanced from their place from Maraagabe.

³⁴And there came over against Gabaa 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 struck 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 struck; and the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted in the ambuscade which they had prepared against Gabaa.