07:020:011 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
07:020:012 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?
07:020:013 Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel.
07:020:014 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.
07:020:015 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
07:020:016 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen menlefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth,and not miss.
07:020:017 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered fourhundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men ofwar.
07:020:018 And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.
07:020:019 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.
07:020:020 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; andthe men of Israel put themselves in array to fight againstthem at Gibeah.
07:020:021 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, anddestroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twentyand two thousand men.
07:020:022 And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, andset their battle again in array in the place where they putthemselves in array the first day.
07:020:023 (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)
07:020:024 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
07:020:025 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
07:020:026 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
07:020:027 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
07:020:028 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 children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
07:020:029 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
07:020:030 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
07:020:031 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
07:020:032 And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.
07:020:033 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.
07:020:034 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out ofall Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not thatevil was near them.
07:020:035 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children ofIsrael destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and fivethousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.
07:020:036 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.
07:020:037 And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and theliers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the citywith the edge of the sword.
07:020:038 Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel andthe liers in wait, that they should make a great flame withsmoke rise up out of the city.
07:020:039 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, 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.
07:020:040 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.
07:020:041 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.
07:020:042 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.
07:020:043 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
07:020:044 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
07:020:045 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
07:020:046 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.
07:020:047 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.
07:020:048 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.
07:021:001 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shallnot any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
07:021:002 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there tilleven before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
07:021:003 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass inIsrael, that there should be to day one tribe lacking inIsrael?
07:021:004 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early,and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings andpeace offerings.
07:021:005 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
07:021:006 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin theirbrother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel thisday.
07:021:007 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we havesworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughtersto wives?
07:021:008 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel thatcame not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there camenone to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.
07:021:009 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.
07:021:010 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
07:021:011 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
07:021:012 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
07:021:013 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the childrenof Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to callpeaceably unto them.
07:021:014 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wiveswhich they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: andyet so they sufficed them not.
07:021:015 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that theLORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
07:021:016 Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do forwives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed outof Benjamin?
07:021:017 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that beescaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out ofIsrael.
07:021:018 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for thechildren of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he thatgiveth a wife to Benjamin.
07:021:019 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
07:021:020 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
07:021:021 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
07:021:022 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.
07:021:023 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
07:021:024 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.
07:021:025 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.