Daily Bread

The Israelites Punish the Benjamites

20 Then all Israel^(A) from Dan to Beersheba^(B) and from the land of Gilead came together as one^(C) and assembled^(D) before the Lord in Mizpah.^{(E) 2} The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, four hundred thousand men^(F) armed with swords. ³ (The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, “Tell us how this awful thing happened.”

⁴ So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, “I and my concubine came to Gibeah^(G) in Benjamin to spend the night.^{(H) 5} During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me.^(I) They raped my concubine, and she died.^{(J) 6} I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel’s inheritance,^(K) because they committed this lewd and outrageous act^(L) in Israel. ⁷ Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do.^(M)”

⁸ All the men rose up together as one, saying, “None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. ⁹ But now this is what we’ll do to Gibeah: We’ll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots.^{(N) 10} We’ll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah^[a] in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel.” ¹¹ So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city.^(O)

¹² The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What about this awful crime that was committed among you?^{(P) 13} Now turn those wicked men^(Q) of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.^(R)”

But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. ¹⁴ From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. ¹⁵ At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred able young men from those living in Gibeah. ¹⁶ Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed,^(S) each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.