1Israel sände då sina ledare och 400.000 beväpnade män till Mispa, där de trädde fram inför Herren. De kom så långt ifrån som Dan och Beer-Seba och alla platser däremellan, och även från Gilead på andra sidan Jordan.3Ryktet om mobiliseringen av de israelitiska trupperna nådde snart Benjamin. De ledande männen i Israel skickade då efter den mördade kvinnans man och bad honom berätta vad som hade hänt.4"Det var sent när vi kom fram till Gibea, en by i Benjamin", började han.5"Samma kväll kom män från staden och omringade huset. Mig tänkte de döda, och min bihustru våldtog de tills hon dog.6Då styckade jag hennes döda kropp i tolv delar, som jag sände ut över hela landet, för dessa män hade begått ett fruktansvärt brott.7Nu vill jag höra er dom."8De svarade alla som en man: "Ingen av oss tänker vända om hem, förrän vi har straffat Gibea. En tiondel av armén ska genom lottdragning väljas ut med uppgift att förse oss med proviant. Resten ska förinta Gibea som straff för deras hemska brott."11Hela nationen förenades alltså inför uppgiften.12Man skickade budbärare till Benjamins stam och ställde krav: "Ni är skyldiga till ett oerhört brott!13Utlämna dessa onda män från er stad Gibea, så att vi kan avrätta dem och rena Israel från all ondska." Men folket i Benjamin ville inte höra på sina bröder.14I stället lyckades man samla 26.000 man till Gibea för att förena sig med de sju hundra som redan fanns där och försvara sig.16Bland dessa fanns det 700 vänsterhänta, som var mycket skickliga i att träffa med sina slungstenar.17Det övriga Israel, utom Benjamins stam, mönstrade 400.000 man.18Före striden drog de israelitiska trupperna upp till Betel för att rådfråga Herren. "Vilken stam ska anföra oss i striden mot Benjamins folk?" frågade de."Juda ska gå först", svarade Herren.19Tidigt nästa morgon tågade hela armén mot Gibea för att anfalla Benjamins män.21Men männen som försvarade staden rusade ut och dödade under den dagen 22.000 israeliter.22Då grät den israelitiska hären inför Herren ända till skymningen, och de frågade honom snyftande: "Ska vi fortsätta att strida mot vår bror Benjamin?""Ja!" svarade Herren. Då fick den israelitiska armén nytt mod och drog följande dag ut till strid på samma plats som tidigare,25och den dagen förlorade de ytterligare 18.000 man, allesammans beväpnade med svärd.26Då drog hela armén upp till Betel och grät inför Herren och fastade till kvällen och offrade brännoffer och tackoffer.27Guds ark fanns där på den tiden, och Pinehas, Eleasars son och Arons sonson, var präst. Israels män frågade Herren: "Ska vi gå ut igen och strida mot vår bror Benjamin?" Herren svarade: "Ja gör det. Jag ska se till att ni besegrar honom."29Då lade sig Israels soldater i bakhåll runt Gibea30och gick sedan än en gång ut och gjorde sig i ordning för strid.31När Benjamins trupper kom ut ur staden för att gå till anfall, drog sig Israels armé tillbaka, och Benjamins män lurades bort från staden när de förföljde Israel. Då började Benjamin precis som tidigare att angripa fiender utmed vägen mellan Betel och Gibea, och lyckades döda ett trettiotal av dem.32Då ropade man i Benjamins armé: "Vi besegrar dem igen! " Men de israelitiska soldaterna hade i förväg gjort upp att de skulle försöka få bort Benjamins armé från staden,33och när sedan Israels armé hade hunnit till Baal-Tamar vände den tillbaka och gick till anfall, och de 10.000 män som fanns i bakhåll rusade fram och gick34också till anfall, utan att Benjamin förstod hur stor faran för nederlag i själva verket var.35Herren hjälpte Israel att besegra Benjamin, och Israels armé dödade 25.100 man i Benjamin den dagen, nästan hela deras armé. Israels män drog sig alltså tillbaka från Benjamin för att ge dem som låg i bakhåll större möjlighet att manövrera. När benjaminiterna hade dödat omkring trettio stycken av Israels män var de övertygade om att de skulle vinna en lika stor seger som tidigare. Men den styrka som låg i bakhåll rusade in i staden, dödade alla som fanns där och tände eld på staden, och det stora rökmoln som steg mot himlen var signalen för Israel att gå till anfall mot Benjamin.40Dessa vände sig om och upptäckte att staden stod i lågor och insåg hur allvarligt läget var.42De flydde ut i öknen, men Israels armé förföljde dem, och männen som legat i bakhåll kom ut och fortsatte det blodbad som redan hade börjat.43De omringade Benjamins armé öster om Gibea och dödade flertalet av dem där.44I Benjamins armé dog 18.000 i striden.45Resten flydde ut i öknen bort mot Rimmons klippa, men 5.000 dödades utmed vägen och 2.000 närmare Gideom.46Benjamins stam förlorade den dagen 25.000 tappra män. De 600 som fanns kvar flydde alltså till Rimmons klippa, där de stannade i fyra månader.48Men Israels armé återvände och dödade allt och alla som tillhörde Benjamin och brände ner varje stad och by i hela området.
English Standard Version
Israel’s War with the Tribe of Benjamin
1Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.2And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword.3(Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?”4And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.5And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.6So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel.7Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here.”8And all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house.9But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot,10and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.”11So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.12And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you?13Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.14Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel.15And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day 26,000 men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered 700 chosen men.16Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.17And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war.18The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”19Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.20And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.21The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.22But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.23And the people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening. And they inquired of the Lord, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against them.”24So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day.25And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword.26Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.27And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,28and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”29So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.30And the people of Israel went up against the people of Benjamin on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.31And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.32And the people of Benjamin said, “They are routed before us, as at the first.” But the people of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel who were in ambush rushed out of their place from Maareh-geba.*34And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them.35And the Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day. All these were men who drew the sword.36So the people of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah.37Then the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush moved out and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.38Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city39the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”40But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven.41Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them.42Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them. And those who came out of the cities were destroying them in their midst.43Surrounding the Benjaminites, they pursued them and trod them down from Nohah* as far as opposite Gibeah on the east.44Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all of them men of valor.45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. Five thousand men of them were cut down in the highways. And they were pursued hard to Gidom, and 2,000 men of them were struck down.46So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor.47But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.48And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.
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