1 So all the sons of Israel came out, from Dan to Beer-sheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man, unto Jehovah at Mizpah.
2 And the chiefs of all the people of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who drew the sword.
3 (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, Tell us, how did this wickedness happen?
4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, My concubine and I went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to lodge.
5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They had thought to kill me, but instead they have humbled my concubine so that she died.
6 So I took hold of my concubine, cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the land of the inheritance of Israel, because they have committed lewdness and disgraceful folly in Israel.
7 Behold, all of you are sons of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.
8 And all the people rose up as one man, saying, None of us shall go to his tent, nor shall any turn away to his house;
9 but now this is the thing which we shall do to Gibeah: We shall go up against it by lot.
10 We shall take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to carry provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may repay all the disgrace that they have done in Israel.
11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man.
12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What is this evil that has been done among you?
13 Now therefore, deliver up the men, the sons of wickedness who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel! But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel.
14 And the sons of Benjamin gathered together from their cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the sons of Israel.
15 And from their cities at that time the sons of Benjamin numbered twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred choice men.
16 Among all this people were seven hundred choice men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17 Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.
18 And the sons of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, Which of us shall go up first to battle against the sons of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah first!
19 And the sons of Israel arose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.
20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.
21 And the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of Israel.
22 And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again set the battle in array at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day.
23 And the sons of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until evening, and asked counsel of Jehovah, saying, Shall I again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.
24 So the sons of Israel approached the sons of Benjamin on the second day.
25 And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and destroyed down to the ground eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword.
26 And all the children of Israel, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before Jehovah and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah.
27 And the sons of Israel inquired of Jehovah (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28 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 sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease? And Jehovah said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.
29 And Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah.
30 And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times.
31 And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
32 And the sons of Benjamin thought, They are struck down before us, as at first. But the sons of Israel had said, Let us flee and draw them away from the city into the highways.
33 So all the men of Israel rose from their place and put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israels men in ambush burst forth from their places in the plain of Geba.
34 And ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was heavy. But the Benjamites did not know that evil was upon them.
35 And Jehovah struck down Benjamin before Israel. And the sons of Israel destroyed that day twenty-five thousand one hundred of Benjamin; all who drew the sword.
36 So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were struck down. And the men of Israel had given ground to the Benjamites, because they had trusted on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah.
37 And the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah; the men in ambush drew out and struck the whole city with the edge of the sword.
38 Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,
39 whereupon the men of Israel turned around in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty of the men of Israel. For they thought, Surely they are struck down before us, as in the first battle.
40 But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and behold the whole city had gone up in smoke to the heavens.
41 And when the men of Israel turned back, the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that evil had come upon them.
42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness; and the battle overtook them, and whoever came out of the cities they destroyed in their midst.
43 They surrounded Benjamin, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the front of Gibeah toward the rising sun.
44 And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valor.
45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they thrust upon five thousand of them on the highways; and pursued them to Gidom, and killed two thousand men.
46 So all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.
47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months.
48 And the men of Israel turned back against the sons of Benjamin, and struck them down with the edge of the sword; entire cities, beasts, and all who were found. They also set fire to every city they found.
1 Então todos os israelitas, de Dã a Berseba, e de Gileade, saíram como um só homem e se reuniram em assembléia perante o Senhor em Mispá.
2 Os líderes de todo o povo das tribos de Israel tomaram seus lugares na assembléia do povo de Deus, quatrocentos mil soldados armados de espada.
3 ( Os benjamitas souberam que os israelitas haviam subido a Mispá. ) Os israelitas perguntaram: "Como aconteceu essa perversidade? "
4 Então o levita, marido da mulher assassinada, disse: "Eu e a minha concubina chegamos a Gibeá de Benjamim para passar a noite.
5 Durante a noite os homens de Gibeá vieram para atacar-me e cercaram a casa, com a intenção de matar-me. Então violentaram minha concubina, e ela morreu.
6 Peguei minha concubina, cortei-a em pedaços e enviei um pedaço a cada região da herança de Israel, pois eles cometeram essa perversidade e esse ato vergonhoso em Israel.
7 Agora, todos vocês israelitas, manifestem-se e dêem o seu veredicto".
8 Todo o povo se levantou como se fosse um só homem, dizendo: "Nenhum de nós irá para casa. Nenhum de nós voltará para o seu lar.
9 Mas é isto que faremos agora contra Gibeá: Separaremos, por sorteio, de todas as tribos de Israel,
10 de cada cem homens dez homens, de cada mil homens cem, de cada dez mil homens mil, para conseguirem provisões para o exército poder chegar a Gibeá de Benjamim e dar a eles o que merecem por todo esse ato vergonhoso cometido em Israel".
11 E todos os israelitas se ajuntaram e se uniram como um só homem contra a cidade.
12 As tribos de Israel enviaram homens a toda a tribo de Benjamim, dizendo: "O que vocês dizem dessa maldade terrível que foi cometido no meio de vocês?
13 Agora, entreguem esses canalhas de Gibeá, para que os matemos e eliminemos esse mal de Israel". Mas os benjamitas não quiseram ouvir seus irmãos israelitas.
14 Vindos de suas cidades, reuniram-se em Gibeá para lutar contra os israelitas.
15 Naquele dia os benjamitas mobilizaram vinte e seis mil homens armados de espada que vieram das suas cidades, além dos setecentos melhores soldados que viviam em Gibeá.
16 Dentre todos esses soldados havia setecentos canhotos, muito hábeis, e cada um deles podia atirar uma pedra com a funda num cabelo sem errar.
17 Israel, sem contar os de Benjamim, convocou quatrocentos mil homens armados de espada, todos eles homens de guerra.
18 Os israelitas subiram a Betel e consultaram a Deus. "Quem de nós irá lutar primeiro contra os benjamitas? ", perguntaram. O Senhor respondeu: "Judá irá primeiro".
19 Na manhã seguinte os israelitas se levantaram e armaram acampamento perto de Gibeá.
20 Os homens de Israel saíram para lutar contra os benjamitas e tomaram posição de combate contra eles em Gibeá.
21 Os benjamitas saíram de Gibeá e naquele dia mataram vinte e dois mil israelitas no campo de batalha.
22 Mas os homens de Israel procuraram animar-se uns aos outros, e novamente ocuparam as mesmas posições do primeiro dia.
23 Os israelitas subiram e choraram perante o Senhor até a tarde, e consultaram o Senhor: "Devemos atacar de novo os nossos irmãos benjamitas? " O Senhor respondeu: "Vocês devem atacar".
24 Então os israelitas avançaram contra os benjamitas no segundo dia.
25 Dessa vez, quando os benjamitas saíram de Gibeá para enfrentá-los, derrubaram outros dezoito mil israelitas, todos eles armados de espada.
26 Então todos os israelitas subiram a Betel, e ali se assentaram, chorando perante o Senhor. Naquele dia jejuaram até à tarde e apresentaram holocaustos e ofertas de comunhão ao Senhor.
27 E os israelitas consultaram ao Senhor. ( Naqueles dias a arca da aliança estava ali,
28 e Finéias, filho de Eleazar, filho de Arão, ministrava perante ela. ) Perguntaram: "Sairemos de novo ou não, para lutar contra os nossos irmãos benjamitas? " O Senhor respondeu: "Vão, pois amanhã eu os entregarei nas suas mãos".
29 Então os israelitas armaram uma emboscada em torno de Gibeá.
30 Avançaram contra os benjamitas no terceiro dia e tomaram posição contra Gibeá, como tinham feito antes.
31 Os benjamitas saíram para enfrentá-los e foram atraídos para longe da cidade. Começaram a ferir alguns dos israelitas como tinham feito antes, e uns trinta homens foram mortos em campo aberto e nas estradas, uma que vai para Betel e a outra que vai para Gibeá.
32 Enquanto os benjamitas diziam: "Nós os derrotamos como antes", os israelitas diziam: "Vamos retirar-nos e atraí-los para longe da cidade, para as estradas".
33 Todos os homens de Israel saíram dos seus lugares e ocuparam posições em Baal-Tamar, e a emboscada israelita atacou da sua posição a oeste de Gibeá.
34 Então dez mil dos melhores soldados de Israel iniciaram um ataque frontal contra Gibeá. O combate foi duro, e os benjamitas não perceberam que a desgraça estava próxima deles.
35 O Senhor derrotou Benjamim perante Israel, e naquele dia os israelitas feriram vinte e cinco mil e cem benjamitas, todos armados de espada.
36 Então os benjamitas viram que estavam derrotados. Os israelitas bateram em retirada diante de Benjamim, pois confiavam na emboscada que tinham preparado perto de Gibeá.
37 Os da emboscada avançaram repentinamente para dentro de Gibeá, espalharam-se e mataram todos os habitantes da cidade à espada.
38 Os israelitas tinham combinado com os da emboscada que estes fariam subir da cidade uma grande nuvem de fumaça,
39 e então os israelitas voltariam a combater. Os benjamitas tinham começado a ferir os israelitas, matando cerca de trinta deles, e disseram: "Nós os derrotamos como na primeira batalha".
40 Mas, quando a coluna de fumaça começou a se levantar da cidade, os benjamitas se viraram e viram a fumaça subindo ao céu.
41 Então os israelitas se voltaram contra eles, e os homens de Benjamim ficaram apavorados, pois perceberam que a sua desgraça havia chegado.
42 Assim, fugiram da presença dos israelitas tomando o caminho do deserto, mas não conseguiram escapar do combate. E os homens de Israel que saíram das cidades os mataram ali.
43 Cercaram os benjamitas e os perseguiram, e facilmente os alcançaram nas proximidades de Gibeá, no lado leste.
44 Dezoito mil benjamitas morreram, todos eles soldados valentes.
45 Quando se viraram e fugiram rumo ao deserto, para a rocha de Rimom, os israelitas abateram cinco mil homens ao longo das estradas. Até Gidom eles pressionaram os benjamitas e mataram mais de dois mil homens.
46 Naquele dia vinte e cinco mil benjamitas que portavam espada morreram, todos eles soldados valentes.
47 Seiscentos homens, porém, viraram as costas e fugiram para o deserto, para a rocha de Rimom, onde ficaram durante quatro meses.
48 Os israelitas voltaram a Benjamim e passaram todas as cidades à espada, matando inclusive os animais e tudo o que encontraram nelas. E incendiaram todas as cidades por onde passaram.