18 Then the ⌊Israelites⌋y got up and went up to Bethel, and they inquired of God, saying, “Who will go up first for the battle against the descendantsz of Benjamin?” And Yahweh said, “Judah will go first.” 19 And the ⌊Israelites⌋a got up in the morning, and they encamped against Gibeah. 20 Then the men of Israel marched out for the battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel took up positions against them for battle at Gibeah. 21 The descendantsb of Benjamin went out from Gibeah, and they struck down on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel to the ground. 22 But the troops, the men of Israel, ⌊encouraged themselves⌋,c and again they arranged their battle lines in the place where they had arranged themselves the first day. 23 The ⌊Israelites⌋d went up and wept before Yahweh until evening and inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Should we again draw near from the battle against the descendantse of Benjamin, our relatives?”f And Yahweh said, “Go up against them.”g

24 And the ⌊Israelites⌋h drew near to the descendantsi of Benjamin on the second day. 25 And Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day, and they struck down the ⌊Israelites⌋j again, eighteen thousand men to the ground; all of these were ⌊sword-wielding⌋.k 26 And all the ⌊Israelites⌋l and all the troops went up and came to Bethel and wept; and they sat there before Yahweh and fasted on that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh. 27 And the ⌊Israelites⌋m inquired of Yahweh (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, 28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing ⌊before it⌋n to minister in those days), saying, “Should we go out once more to battle against the descendantso of Benjamin our relatives,p or should we stop?” And Yahweh said, “Go up tomorrow; I will give themq into your hand.”

29 So Israel stationed an ambush all around Gibeah. 30 And the ⌊Israelites⌋r went up against the descendantss of Benjamin on the third day, and they took up positions against Gibeah as before. 31 The descendantst of Benjamin went out to meet the troops, and they lured them away from the city and began to inflict casualties on the troops as before, on the main road, one of which goes up to Bethel, the other to Gibeah; and in the field there were about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the descendantsu of Benjamin thought,v “They are being defeated before us ⌊as previously⌋,”w and the ⌊Israelites⌋x said, “Let us flee and lure themy away from the city to the main roads.” 33 And all the men of Israel got up from their placesz and took up positions in Baal Tamar; and the ambush of Israel charged from their places,a from the vicinity of Gibeah.b 34 Then ten thousand well-trainedc men from all Israel came out against Gibeah, and the battle became fierce;d they did not know that disaster was about to ⌊close in⌋e on them. 35 And Yahweh defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and the ⌊Israelites⌋f destroyed on that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them ⌊sword-wielding⌋.g

36 The descendantsh of Benjamin saw that they were defeated, and the men of Israel gave groundi to Benjamin because they trusted the ambush that they had set against Gibeah. 37 And the ambush came quickly and advanced against Gibeah, and it ⌊put the whole city to the sword⌋.j 38 Now the appointed time for the men of Israel with the ambush was that they sent up for them a great amount of smoke from the city. 39 And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to inflict casualties on about thirty men of Israel because they thought,k “They will be completely defeated before us as in the first battle.” 40 And the cloud of smoke began to go up from the city in a column of smoke, and Benjamin turned backward, and behold, the whole city was going up ⌊in smoke⌋!l 41 And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed because they saw that disaster was ⌊closing in⌋m on them. 42 And they retreated from before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle caught up to them, and those who came from the citiesn destroyed them in the midst of them. 43 They surrounded Benjamin; they pursued themo without restp and trod themq down opposite Gibeah to the east. 44 And eighteen thousand men from Benjamin fell, all of them ⌊able men⌋.r 45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, but they cut down on the main roads five thousand men; and they pursued after them up to Gidom, and they struck down two thousand men. 46 So all of Benjamin who fell on that day were twenty-five thousand ⌊sword-wielding men⌋;s all of these were ⌊able men⌋.t 47 But six hundred 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 returned to the descendantsu of Benjamin, and they put them to ⌊the edge of the sword⌋,v both the inhabitants of the city and the animals that were found; they also set on fire all the cities that they found.

A Decision Is Made About the Tribe of Benjamin

21 The men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.” 2 And the people of Bethel came and sat there until evening before God, and they lifted their voices and ⌊wept bitterly⌋.a 3 And they said, “Why, Yahweh, God of Israel, has it happened today in Israel that one tribe is lacking from Israel?” 4 On the next day the people rose early, and they built there an altar and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5 And the ⌊Israelites⌋b said, “Who in the assembly has not come up from all the tribes of Israel to Yahweh?” For a solemn oath was taken concerning whoever did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah, saying, “He will certainly be put to death.” 6 But the ⌊Israelites⌋c had compassion for Benjamin, their relatives,d and they said, “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel. 7 What will we do for them—for the ones being left over—for wives? For we have sworn by Yahweh not to give to them our daughters as wives.”

8 They asked, “Which one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?” And behold, no one came from Jabesh-gilead to the camp, to the assembly. 9 The people were counted, and no one was there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead. 10 And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men from the troops, and they commanded them, saying, “Go, strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with ⌊the edge of the sword⌋,e and the women and children. 11 This is the thing you will do: ⌊you will destroy⌋f every man and ⌊every woman who had sex with a man⌋.”g 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virginsh who had not ⌊had sex with a man⌋,i and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 Then the congregation sent and spoke all this to the descendantsj of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and ⌊they assured them they would not be hurt⌋.k 14 And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave to them the women whom they kept alive from Jabesh-gilead; but they were not enough for them.

15 And the people felt sorry for Benjamin because ⌊Yahweh weakened the tribes of Israel⌋.l 16 So the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do for the remaining ones for wives, since the women from Benjamin have been destroyed?” 17 And they said, “There must be a remnant for Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. 18 But we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” (For the ⌊Israelites⌋m swore, saying, “Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.”) 19 And they said, “Look, the annual feast of Yahweh is in Shiloh, which is to the north of Bethel, ⌊east⌋n of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah. 20 They instructed the descendantso of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in ambush in the vineyards, 21 and watch and look; when the daughters of Shiloh dance in the dances, come out from the vineyards and seize for yourselves a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 And if their fathers or their brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Allow us to have them, because we did not capture a wife for each man in the battle, and because you did not give them to them, ⌊or else⌋p you would have been guilty.’ ” 23 The descendantsq of Benjamin did likewise, and they took wives for each of them from the dancers whom they seized, and they went and returned to their territory, and they rebuilt the cities and they lived in them. 24 So the ⌊Israelites⌋r dispersed from there at that time according to tribe and family; and they went out from there, each one to their own territory. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did what was right in his own eyes.