Judges:20

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* Then all the sons of Israel went out . And the congregation was assembled as one man , from Dan even to Beersheba , with the land of Gilead , to LORD at Mizpah . * And 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 footmen who drew a sword . * (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah .) And the sons of Israel said , Tell us , how was this wickedness brought to pass ? * And 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 . * And the men of Gibeah rose against me , and beset the house round about me by night . They thought to have me slain , and they forced my concubine , and she is dead . * 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 . * Behold , ye sons of Israel , all of you , give here your advice and counsel . * 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 to his house . * But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah : [We will go up ] against it by lot , * and 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 provision for the people , that they may do , when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin , * So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city , knit together as one man . * And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin , saying , What wickedness is this that has come to pass among you ? * Now 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 hearken to the voice of their brothers the sons of Israel . * And the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah , to go out to battle against the sons of Israel . * And the sons of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew a sword , besides the inhabitants of Gibeah , who were numbered seven hundred chosen men . * Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed . Every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth , and not miss . * And the men of Israel , besides Benjamin , were numbered four hundred thousand men who drew a sword . All these were men of war . * And the sons of Israel arose , and went up to Bethel , and asked counsel of God . And they said , Who shall go up for us first to battle against the sons of Benjamin ? And LORD said , Judah first . * And the sons of Israel rose up in the morning , and encamped against Gibeah . * And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin . And the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah . * And the sons of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah , and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty-two thousand men . * And 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 . * And the sons of Israel went up and wept before LORD until evening . And they asked of LORD , saying , Shall I again draw near to battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother ? And LORD said , Go up against him . * And the sons of Israel came near against the sons of Benjamin the second day . * And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day , and destroyed down to the ground of the sons of Israel again eighteen thousand men . All these drew the sword . * Then all the sons of Israel , and all the people , went up , and came to Bethel , and wept , and sat there before LORD , and fasted that day until evening , and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before LORD . * And the sons of Israel asked of LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days , * 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 sons of Benjamin my brother , or shall I cease ? And LORD said , Go up , for tomorrow I will del * And Israel set an ambushment against Gibeah round about . * And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day , and set themselves in array against Gibeah , as at other times . * And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people , and were drawn away from the city . And they began to smite and kill of the people as at other times , in the highways , of which one goes up to Bethel , and the other to Gibeah , in * And the sons of Benjamin said , They are smitten down before us as at the first . But the sons of Israel said , Let us flee , and draw them away from the city to the highways . * And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place , and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar , and the ambushment of Israel broke forth out of their place , even out of Maareh-geba . * And there came opposite Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel , and the battle was severe , but they knew not that evil was close upon them . * And LORD smote Benjamin before Israel , and the sons of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty-five thousand and a hundred men . All these drew the sword . * So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were smitten , for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin because they trusted to the ambushment whom they had set against Gibeah . * And the ambushment hastened , and rushed upon Gibeah . And the ambushment drew themselves along , and smote all the city with the edge of the sword . * Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambushment was , that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city . * And the men of Israel turned in the battle , and 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 . * But when the cloud began to arise 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 . * And the men of Israel turned , and the men of Benjamin were dismayed , for they saw that evil had come upon them . * Therefore 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 it . * They enclosed the Benjamites round about , [and ] chased them , [and ] trod them down at [their ] resting-place , as far as opposite Gibeah toward the sunrise . * And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men . All these [were ] men of valor . * And 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 smote of them two thousand men . * So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword . All these [were ] men of valor . * But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon , and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months . * And the men of Israel turned again upon the sons of Benjamin , and smote them with the edge of the sword , both the entire city , and the cattle , and all that they found . Moreover they set on fire all the cities which they found .

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