1 Then all the children of Israel took up arms, and the people came together like one man, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and the land of Gilead, before the Lord at Mizpah.2 And the chiefs of the people, out of all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the meeting of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen armed with swords.3 (Now the children of Benjamin had word that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the children of Israel said, Make clear how this evil thing took place.4 Then the Levite, the husband of the dead woman, said in answer, I came to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin, I and my servant-wife, for the purpose of stopping there for the night.5 And the townsmen of Gibeah came together against me, going round the house on all sides by night; it was their purpose to put me to death, and my servant-wife was violently used by them and is dead.6 So I took her, cutting her into parts which I sent through all the country of the heritage of Israel: for they have done an act of shame in Israel.7 Here you all are, you children of Israel; give now your suggestions about what is to be done.8 Then all the people got up as one man and said, Not one of us will go to his tent or go back to his house:9 But this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by the decision of the Lord;10 And we will take ten men out of every hundred, through all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, a thousand out of every ten thousand, to get food for the people, so that they may give to Gibeah of Benjamin the right punishment for the act of shame they have done in Israel.11 So all the men of Israel were banded together against the town, united like one man.12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin saying, What is this evil which has been done among you?13 Now give up those good-for-nothing persons in Gibeah so that we may put them to death, clearing away the evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not give ear to the voice of their brothers, the children of Israel.14 And the children of Benjamin came together from all their towns to Gibeah, to go to war with the children of Israel.15 And the children of Benjamin who came that day from the towns were twenty-six thousand men armed with swords, in addition to the people of Gibeah, numbering seven hundred of the best fighting-men,16 Who were left-handed, able to send a stone at a hair without error.17 And the men of Israel, other than Benjamin, were four hundred thousand in number, all armed with swords; they were all men of war.18 And they got up and went up to Beth-el to get directions from God, and the children of Israel said, Who is to be the first to go up to the fight against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah is to go up first.19 So the children of Israel got up in the morning and put themselves in position against Gibeah.20 And the men of Israel went out to war against Benjamin (and the men of Israel put their forces in fighting order against them at Gibeah).21 Then the children of Benjamin came out from Gibeah, cutting down twenty-two thousand of the Israelites that day.22 But the people, the men of Israel, taking heart again, put their forces in order and took up the same position as on the first day.23 Now the children of Israel went up, weeping before the Lord till evening, requesting the Lord and saying, Am I to go forward again to the fight against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.24 So the children of Israel went forward against the children of Benjamin the second day.25 And the second day Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah, cutting down eighteen thousand men of the children of Israel, all swordsmen.26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up to Beth-el, weeping and waiting there before the Lord, going without food all day till evening, and offering burned offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord.27 And the children of Israel made request to the Lord, (for the ark of the agreement of the Lord was there in those days,28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was in his place before it,) and said, Am I still to go on with the fight against the children of Benjamin my brother, or am I to give it up? And the Lord said, Go on; for tomorrow I will give him into your hands.29 So Israel put men secretly all round Gibeah to make a surprise attack on it.30 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in fighting order against Gibeah as before.31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, moving away from the town; and as before, at their first attack, they put to death about thirty men of Israel on the highways, of which one goes up to Beth-el and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country.32 And the children of Benjamin said, They are giving way before us as at first. But the children of Israel said, Let us go in flight and get them away from the town, into the highways.33 So all the men of Israel got up and put themselves in fighting order at Baal-tamar: and those who had been waiting secretly to make a surprise attack came rushing out of their place on the west of Geba.34 And they came in front of Gibeah, ten thousand of the best men in all Israel, and the fighting became more violent; but the children of Benjamin were not conscious that evil was coming on them.35 Then the Lord sent sudden fear on Benjamin before Israel; and that day the children of Israel put to death twenty-five thousand, one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them swordsmen.36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were overcome: and the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, putting their faith in the watchers who were to make the surprise attack on Gibeah.37 And the watchers, rushing on Gibeah and overrunning it, put all the town to the sword without mercy.38 Now the sign fixed between the men of Israel and those making the surprise attack was that when they made a pillar of smoke go up from the town,39 The men of Israel were to make a turn about in the fight. And Benjamin had overcome and put to death about thirty of the men of Israel, and were saying, Certainly they are falling back before us as in the first fight.40 Then the sign went up out of the town in the pillar of smoke, and the Benjamites, turning back, saw all the town going up in smoke to heaven.41 And the men of Israel had made a turn about, and the men of Benjamin were overcome with fear, for they saw that evil had overtaken them.42 So turning their backs on the men of Israel, they went in the direction of the waste land; but the fight overtook them; and those who came out of the town were heading them off and putting them to the sword.43 And crushing Benjamin down, they went after them, driving them from Nohah as far as the east side of Gibeah.44 Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin came to their death, all strong men of war.45 And turning, they went in flight to the rock of Rimmon in the waste land: and on the highways five thousand of them were cut off by the men of Israel, who, pushing on hard after them to Geba, put to death two thousand more.46 So twenty-five thousand of the swordsmen of Benjamin came to their end that day, all strong men of war.47 But six hundred men, turning back, went in flight to the rock of Rimmon in the waste land, and were living on the rock of Rimmon for four months.48 And the men of Israel, turning again against the children of Benjamin, put to the sword without mercy all the towns and the cattle and everything there was, burning every town which came into their hands.

1 Egressi itaque sunt omnes filii Isral, et pariter congregati, quasi vir unus, de Dan usque Bersabee, et terra Galaad, ad Dominum in Maspha. 2 Omnesque anguli populorum, et cunct tribus Isral in ecclesiam populi Dei convenerunt, quadringenta millia peditum pugnatorum. 3 (Nec latuit filios Benjamin quod ascendissent filii Isral in Maspha.) Interrogatusque Levita, maritus mulieris interfect, quomodo tantum scelus perpetratum esset, 4 respondit : Veni in Gabaa Benjamin cum uxore mea, illucque diverti : 5 et ecce homines civitatis illius circumdederunt nocte domum in qua manebam, volentes me occidere, et uxorem meam incredibili furore libidinis vexantes, denique mortua est. 6 Quam arreptam, in frustra concidi, misique partes in omnes terminos possessionis vestr : quia numquam tantum nefas, et tam grande piaculum, factum est in Isral. 7 Adestis, omnes filii Isral : decernite quid facere debeatis. 8 Stansque omnis populus, quasi unius hominis sermone respondit : Non recedemus in tabernacula nostra, nec suam quisquam intrabit domum : 9 sed hoc contra Gabaa in commune faciamus. 10 Decem viri eligantur e centum ex omnibus tribubus Isral, et centum de mille, et mille de decem millibus, ut comportent exercitui cibaria, et possimus pugnare contra Gabaa Benjamin, et reddere ei pro scelere, quod meretur. 11 Convenitque universus Isral ad civitatem, quasi homo unus eadem mente, unoque consilio.12 Et miserunt nuntios ad omnem tribum Benjamin, qui dicerent : Cur tantum nefas in vobis repertum est ? 13 Tradite homines de Gabaa, qui hoc flagitium perpetrarunt, ut moriantur, et auferatur malum de Isral. Qui noluerunt fratrum suorum filiorum Isral audire mandatum : 14 sed ex cunctis urbibus, qu sortis su erant, convenerunt in Gabaa, ut illis ferrent auxilium, et contra universum populum Isral dimicarent. 15 Inventique sunt viginti quinque millia de Benjamin educentium gladium, prter habitatores Gabaa, 16 qui septingenti erant viri fortissimi, ita sinistra ut dextra prliantes : et sic fundis lapides ad certum jacientes, ut capillum quoque possent percutere, et nequaquam in alteram partem ictus lapidis deferretur. 17 Virorum quoque Isral, absque filiis Benjamin, inventa sunt quadringenta millia educentium gladium, et paratorum ad pugnam.18 Qui surgentes venerunt in domum Dei, hoc est, in Silo : consulueruntque Deum, atque dixerunt : Quis erit in exercitu nostro princeps certaminis contra filios Benjamin ? Quibus respondit Dominus : Judas sit dux vester. 19 Statimque filii Isral surgentes mane, castrametati sunt juxta Gabaa : 20 et inde procedentes ad pugnam contra Benjamin, urbem oppugnare cperunt. 21 Egressique filii Benjamin de Gabaa, occiderunt de filiis Isral die illo viginti duo millia virorum. 22 Rursum filii Isral et fortitudine et numero confidentes, in eodem loco in quo prius certaverant, aciem direxerunt : 23 ita tamen ut prius ascenderent et flerent coram Domino usque ad noctem, consulerentque eum, et dicerent : Debeo ultra procedere ad dimicandum contra filios Benjamin fratres meos, an non ? Quibus ille respondit : Ascendite ad eos, et inite certamen. 24 Cumque filii Isral altera die contra filios Benjamin ad prlium processissent, 25 eruperunt filii Benjamin de portis Gabaa : et occurrentes eis tanta in illos cde bacchati sunt, ut decem et octo millia virorum educentium gladium prosternerent.26 Quam ob rem omnes filii Isral venerunt in domum Dei, et sedentes flebant coram Domino : jejunaveruntque die illo usque ad vesperam, et obtulerunt ei holocausta, atque pacificas victimas, 27 et super statu suo interrogaverunt. Eo tempore ibi erat arca fderis Dei, 28 et Phinees filius Eleazari filii Aaron prpositus domus. Consuluerunt igitur Dominum, atque dixerunt : Exire ultra debemus ad pugnam contra filios Benjamin fratres nostros, an quiescere ? Quibus ait Dominus : Ascendite : cras enim tradam eos in manus vestras. 29 Posueruntque filii Isral insidias per circuitum urbis Gabaa : 30 et tertia vice, sicut semel et bis, contra Benjamin exercitum produxerunt. 31 Sed et filii Benjamin audacter eruperunt de civitate, et fugientes adversarios longius persecuti sunt, ita ut vulnerarent ex eis sicut primo die et secundo, et cderent per duas semitas vertentes terga, quarum una ferebatur in Bethel et altera in Gabaa, atque prosternerent triginta circiter viros : 32 putaverunt enim solito eos more cedere. Qui fugam arte simulantes inierunt consilium ut abstraherent eos de civitate, et quasi fugientes ad supradictas semitas perducerent. 33 Omnes itaque filii Isral surgentes de sedibus suis, tetenderunt aciem in loco qui vocatur Baalthamar. Insidi quoque, qu circa urbem erant, paulatim se aperire cperunt, 34 et ab occidentali urbis parte procedere. Sed et alia decem millia virorum de universo Isral, habitatores urbis ad certamina provocabant. Ingravatumque est bellum contra filios Benjamin : et non intellexerunt quod ex omni parte illis instaret interitus. 35 Percussitque eos Dominus in conspectu filiorum Isral, et interfecerunt ex eis in illo die viginti quinque millia, et centum viros, omnes bellatores et educentes gladium.36 Filii autem Benjamin cum se inferiores esse vidissent, cperunt fugere. Quod cernentes filii Isral, dederunt eis ad fugiendum locum, ut ad prparatas insidias devenirent, quas juxta urbem posuerant. 37 Qui cum repente de latibulis surrexissent, et Benjamin terga cdentibus daret, ingressi sunt civitatem, et percusserunt eam in ore gladii. 38 Signum autem dederant filii Isral his quos in insidiis collocaverant, ut postquam urbem cepissent, ignem accenderent : ut ascendente in altum fumo, captam urbem demonstrarent. 39 Quod cum cernerent filii Isral in ipso certamine positi (putaverunt enim filii Benjamin eos fugere, et instantius persequebantur, csis de exercitu eorum triginta viris), 40 et viderent quasi columnam fumi de civitate conscendere : Benjamin quoque aspiciens retro, cum captam cerneret civitatem, et flammas in sublime ferri : 41 qui prius simulaverant fugam, versa facie fortius resistebant. Quod cum vidissent filii Benjamin, in fugam versi sunt, 42 et ad viam deserti ire cperunt, illuc quoque eos adversariis persequentibus : sed et hi qui urbem succenderant, occurrerunt eis. 43 Atque ita factum est, ut ex utraque parte ab hostibus cderentur, nec erat ulla requies morientium. Ceciderunt, atque prostrati sunt ad orientalem plagam urbis Gabaa. 44 Fuerunt autem qui in eodem loco interfecti sunt, decem et octo millia virorum, omnes robustissimi pugnatores.45 Quod cum vidissent qui remanserant de Benjamin, fugerunt in solitudinem : et pergebant ad petram, cujus vocabulum est Remmon. In illa quoque fuga palantes, et in diversa tendentes, occiderunt quinque millia virorum. Et cum ultra tenderent, persecuti sunt eos, et interfecerunt etiam alia duo millia. 46 Et sic factum est, ut omnes qui ceciderant de Benjamin in diversis locis essent viginti quinque millia pugnatores ad bella promptissimi. 47 Remanserunt itaque de omni numero Benjamin, qui evadere et fugere in solitudinem potuerunt, sexcenti viri : sederuntque in petra Remmon mensibus quatuor. 48 Regressi autem filii Isral, omnes reliquias civitatis a viris usque ad jumenta gladio percusserunt, cunctasque urbes et viculos Benjamin vorax flamma consumpsit.