Judges 20

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1. 1Then all the Israelites came out, and the entire community gathered together as one, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, before the LORD at Mizpah.
2. 2The leaders of every tribe in Israel took their places in the assembly of God's people, along with 400,000 foot soldiers armed with swords.
3. 3(The people of Benjamin heard that the rest of Israel had gathered at Mizpah.) The Israelites said, "Tell us — how did this terrible thing happen?"
4. 4The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, "My concubine and I came to Gibeah in Benjamin's territory to spend the night.
5. 5During the night, the men of Gibeah came after me. They surrounded the house, intending to kill me. Instead, they raped my concubine, and she died.
6. 6I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent them throughout the entire land of Israel, because they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.
7. 7All of you are Israelites. Speak up — what do you think we should do?"
8. 8The entire assembly rose as one and declared, "Not one of us will go home. No one will return to his house.
9. 9Here's what we'll do to Gibeah: we'll attack it, choosing who goes by casting lots.
10. 10We will take 10 men out of every 100 throughout all the tribes of Israel, 100 out of every 1,000, and 1,000 out of every 10,000 to get food for the people. Then, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may act according to all the folly that has been done in Israel.
11. 11So all the men of Israel united against the city, bound together as one.
12. 12The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the entire tribe of Benjamin, asking, "What is this terrible thing that happened among you?
13. 13Hand over those worthless men in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge this evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their fellow Israelites.
14. 14Instead, the Benjaminites gathered from their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go to war against the rest of Israel.
15. 15The Benjaminites mustered 26,000 swordsmen from their towns that day, plus 700 elite soldiers from Gibeah itself.
16. 16Among all these troops were 700 elite left-handed warriors, each one able to sling a stone at a hair's width and never miss.
17. 17The men of Israel, not counting Benjamin, numbered 400,000 swordsmen — all experienced fighters.
18. 18The Israelites went up to the house of God and asked for guidance. They said, "Which of us should lead the battle against the Benjamites?" The LORD answered, "Judah will go first."
19. 19The Israelites got up the next morning and set up camp near Gibeah.
20. 20The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin and took their battle positions against them at Gibeah.
21. 21But the Benjaminites charged out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites that day.
22. 22Despite this, the men of Israel rallied their courage and formed their battle lines again in the same place as the first day.
23. 23(The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked the LORD, "Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him.")
24. 24So the Israelites advanced against Benjamin on the second day.
25. 25Benjamin came out from Gibeah to meet them again on the second day and slaughtered another 18,000 Israelite swordsmen.
26. 26Then all the Israelites, and all the people, went up and came to the house of God. They wept and sat there before the LORD, fasting that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
27. 27The Israelites sought the LORD's guidance (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28. 28and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the grandson of Aaron, was serving before it). They asked, "Should we go out to battle against our brother Benjamin one more time, or should we stop?" The LORD answered, "Go up, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you."
29. 29So Israel positioned soldiers in ambush all around Gibeah.
30. 30On the third day, the Israelites marched against Benjamin and took up their battle positions near Gibeah, just as they had before.
31. 31The Benjaminites rushed out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began striking down Israelites as before — killing about 30 men along the roads, one leading to the house of God and the other to Gibeah through the open country.
32. 32The Benjaminites thought, "We're beating them just like before!" But the Israelites were saying to each other, "Fall back! Draw them away from the city and onto the roads."
33. 33The main Israelite force pulled back from their positions and regrouped at Baal Tamar, while the Israelite ambush force burst out of their hiding place in the meadows of Gibeah.
34. 34Then 10,000 of Israel's best soldiers launched a head-on assault against Gibeah. The fighting was fierce, but the Benjaminites had no idea that disaster was closing in on them.
35. 35The LORD struck Benjamin down before Israel. That day the Israelites killed 25,100 Benjaminite swordsmen.
36. 36The Benjaminites finally realized they were defeated. The Israelite main force had given ground to Benjamin on purpose, because they were counting on the ambush they had set near Gibeah.
37. 37The ambush force moved quickly, rushing into Gibeah. They spread out through the city and put everyone to the sword.
38. 38The Israelites and the ambush force had arranged a signal: they would make a great flame with smoke rise up from the city.
39. 39So when the Israelite main force initially retreated in battle and Benjamin had killed about 30 of them, the Benjaminites said, "We're crushing them just like the first battle!"
40. 40But then a massive column of smoke began rising from the city. The Benjaminites looked back and saw the entire city going up in flames toward the sky.
41. 41At that moment, the Israelite main force turned and attacked. The men of Benjamin were terrified — they realized disaster had come upon them.
42. 42They turned and fled toward the wilderness, but the battle caught up with them, and the Israelites who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.
43. 43They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them, and easily trampled them down, all the way past Gibeah toward the east.
44. 4418,000 Benjaminites fell in battle — all of them brave warriors.
45. 45The survivors turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. The Israelites picked off 5,000 of them along the roads, then chased the rest as far as Gidom, killing another 2,000.
46. 46In total, 25,000 Benjaminite swordsmen fell that day — all of them brave warriors.
47. 47But 600 men managed to escape. They fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed for 4 months.
48. 48The Israelites then turned back against the rest of Benjamin's territory, putting to the sword the men of every city, the livestock, and everything they found. They also burned down every town they came across.