1 And all the children of Yisra’ĕl came out, from Dan to Be’ĕrsheḇa, and from the land of Gil‛aḏ, and the congregation assembled as one man before יהוה at Mitspah.
2 And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of Elohim, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword.
3 And the children of Binyamin heard that the children of Yisra’ĕl had gone up to Mitspah. And the children of Yisra’ĕl said, “Speak up, how did this evil come about?”
4 And the man, the Lĕwite, husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “My concubine and I went into Giḇ‛ah, which belongs to Binyamin, to spend the night.
5 “And the masters of Giḇ‛ah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They thought to kill me, but instead they humbled my concubine, and she died.
6 “Then I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the land of the inheritance of Yisra’ĕl, because they committed wickedness and folly in Yisra’ĕl.
7 “Look, you are all children of Yisra’ĕl, speak and give your counsel here!”
8 And all the people rose as one man, saying, “Let not one of us go to his tent, nor any of us turn back to his house.
9 “And now, this is what we do to Giḇ‛ah: go against it by lot.
10 “And we shall take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make food for the people, to prepare for their going to Giḇ‛ah in Binyamin, for all the folly they did in Yisra’ĕl.”
11 And all the men of Yisra’ĕl were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
12 And the tribes of Yisra’ĕl sent men through all the tribe of Binyamin, saying, “What is this evil that has come about among you?
13 “And now, give us the men, the sons of Beliya‛al who are in Giḇ‛ah, so that we put them to death and put away evil from Yisra’ĕl!” But the children of Binyamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the children of Yisra’ĕl.
14 So the children of Binyamin gathered together from their cities to Giḇ‛ah, to go to battle against the children of Yisra’ĕl.
15 And from their cities at that time the children of Binyamin registered twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Giḇ‛ah, who registered seven hundred chosen men.
16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss.
17 And besides Binyamin, the men of Yisra’ĕl registered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword, all of these were men of battle.
18 And the children of Yisra’ĕl rose and went up to Bĕyth Ěl to ask of Elohim, and they said, “Who of us go up first to battle against the children of Binyamin?” And יהוה said, “Yehuḏah first.”
19 And the children of Yisra’ĕl rose in the morning and encamped against Giḇ‛ah.
20 And the men of Yisra’ĕl went out to battle against Binyamin, and the men of Yisra’ĕl put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Giḇ‛ah.
21 And the children of Binyamin came out of Giḇ‛ah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Yisra’ĕlites.
22 But the people, the men of Yisra’ĕl, strengthened themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.
23 And the children of Yisra’ĕl went up and wept before יהוה until evening, and asked of יהוה, saying, “Should I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Binyamin?” And יהוה said, “Go up against him.”
24 And the children of Yisra’ĕl drew near to the children of Binyamin on the second day.
25 And Binyamin went out against them from Giḇ‛ah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Yisra’ĕl – all these drew the sword.
26 And all the children of Yisra’ĕl, even all the people, went up and came to Bĕyth Ěl and wept, and sat there before יהוה and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before יהוה.
27 And the children of Yisra’ĕl asked of יהוה – the ark of the covenant of Elohim was there in those days,
28 and Pineḥas son of El‛azar, son of Aharon, stood before it in those days – saying, “Should I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Binyamin, or should I cease?” And יהוה said, “Go up, for tomorrow I give them into your hand.”
29 And Yisra’ĕl set ambushers all around Giḇ‛ah.
30 And the children of Yisra’ĕl went up against the children of Binyamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Giḇ‛ah as at the other times.
31 And the children of Binyamin came out to meet the people – drawn away from the city. And they began to smite some of the people, slaying, as at the other times, in the highways, of which one went up to Bĕyth Ěl and the other to Giḇ‛ah in the field, about thirty men of Yisra’ĕl.
32 And the children of Binyamin said, “They are going to be smitten before us, as previously.” But the children of Yisra’ĕl said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”
33 And all the men of Yisra’ĕl rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Ba‛al Tamar. And the ambush of Yisra’ĕl broke forth from their position at Ma‛areh Ìeḇa.
34 And ten thousand chosen men from all Yisra’ĕl came against Giḇ‛ah, and the battle was fierce. But they did not know that calamity was close to them.
35 And יהוה smote Binyamin before Yisra’ĕl. And the children of Yisra’ĕl destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men on that day in Binyamin – all these drew the sword.
36 And the children of Binyamin saw that they were smitten. And the men of Yisra’ĕl had given ground to the Binyamites, because they trusted in the ambush that they had set against Giḇ‛ah,
37 and the ambush hurried and came against Giḇ‛ah, and the ambush spread out and smote the entire city with the edge of the sword.
38 And the appointed signal between the men of Yisra’ĕl and the ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,
39 then the men of Yisra’ĕl would turn in battle, and Binyamin began to smite dead about thirty of the men of Yisra’ĕl. For they said, “They are indeed smitten before us, as at the first battle.”
40 Then the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, and the Binyamites looked behind them, and saw the entire city going up in smoke to the heavens.
41 And when the men of Yisra’ĕl turned back, the men of Binyamin were troubled, for they saw that calamity was close to them.
42 And they turned their backs before the men of Yisra’ĕl toward the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, while those who had come out of the cities were destroying them in their midst.
43 They surrounded the Binyamites and pursued them, and with ease trampled them down as far as the front of Giḇ‛ah toward the east.
44 And there fell of Binyamin eighteen thousand men – all of these were mighty men.
45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. And they cut down five thousand of them on the highways, and followed after them up to Giḏom, and smote two thousand of them.
46 And all who fell of Binyamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword, all of these were mighty men.
47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they dwelt at the rock of Rimmon for four months.
48 And the men of Yisra’ĕl turned back against the children of Binyamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword from every city, men and beasts, all who were found. And they set fire to all the cities they came to.