Shaphatiym 20

Then all the children of Yashar'al went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 in Mizpeh.

And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Yashar'al, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of Alahiym, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.

(Now the children of Binyamiyn heard that the children of Yashar'al were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Yashar'al, "Tell us, how was this wickedness?"

And the Lawiyte, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, "I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Binyamiyn, I and my concubine, to lodge."

"And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead."

"And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Yashar'al: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Yashar'al."

"Behold, ye are all children of Yashar'al; 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 into his house."

"But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;"

"And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Yashar'al, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Binyamiyn, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Yashar'al."

So all the men of Yashar'al were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

And the tribes of Yashar'al sent men through all the tribe of Binyamiyn, saying, "What wickedness is this that is done among you?"

"Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Beliyaal, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Yashar'al." But the children of Binyamiyn would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Yashar'al:

But the children of Binyamiyn gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Yashar'al.

And the children of Binyamiyn 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.

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 Yashar'al, beside Binyamiyn, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

And the children of Yashar'al arose, and went up to the house of Alahiym, and asked counsel of Alahiym, and said, "Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Binyamiyn?" And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said, "Yahudah shall go up first."

And the children of Yashar'al rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

And the men of Yashar'al went out to battle against Binyamiyn; and the men of Yashar'al put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.

And the children of Binyamiyn came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Yashar'alites that day twenty and two thousand men.

And the people the men of Yashar'al encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

(And the children of Yashar'al went up and wept before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 until even, and asked counsel of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, saying, "Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Binyamiyn my brother?" And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said, "Go up against him.")

And the children of Yashar'al came near against the children of Binyamiyn the second day.

And Binyamiyn went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Yashar'al again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

Then all the children of Yashar'al, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of Alahiym, and wept, and sat there before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

And the children of Yashar'al inquired of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, (for the ark of the covenant of Alahiym was there in those days,

And Pinchas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aharon, stood before it in those days,) saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Binyamiyn my brother, or shall I cease?" And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said, "Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand."

And Yashar'al set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

And the children of Yashar'al went up against the children of Binyamiyn on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

And the children of Binyamiyn 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 Alahiym, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Yashar'al.

And the children of Binyamiyn said, "They are smitten down before us, as at the first." But the children of Yashar'al said, "Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways."

And all the men of Yashar'al rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the liers in wait of Yashar'al came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.

And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Yashar'al, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.

And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 smote Binyamiyn before Yashar'al: and the children of Yashar'al destroyed of the Binyamiynites that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men: all these drew the sword.

So the children of Binyamiyn saw that they were smitten: for the men of Yashar'al gave place to the Binyamiynites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Yashar'al and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

And when the men of Yashar'al retired in the battle, Binyamiyn began to smite and kill of the men of Yashar'al about thirty persons: for they said, "Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle."

But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Binyamiynites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

And when the men of Yashar'al turned again, the men of Binyamiyn were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.

Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Yashar'al 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.

Thus they enclosed the Binyamiynites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

And there fell of Binyamiyn eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor.

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.

So that all which fell that day of Binyamiyn were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valor.

But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

And the men of Yashar'al turned again upon the children of Binyamiyn, 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.