11So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. 12And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What wickedness is this that is done among you? 13Now, therefore, deliver us the men, the base fellows, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel”. But the children of Benjamin would not listen to their brethren, the children of Israel: 14But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. 15And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men. 16Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; every one could sling stones at a hair breadth, and not miss. 17And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men who drew sword; all these were men of war.

18And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, “Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.” 19And the children of Israel arose in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. 20And 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. 21And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and inflicted casualties of twenty-two thousand Israelites that day. 22And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle in array again in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day. 23And the children of Israel wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin, our brother?” And the LORD said, “Go up against him.” 24And the children of Israel came near to the children of Benjamin the second day. 25And Benjamin went forth out of Gibeah against them the second day, and inflicted casualties of eighteen thousand men of Israel again; all these drew the sword. 26Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 27And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28And 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 children of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

29And Israel set men in ambush round about Gibeah. 30And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. 31And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and began to smite and kill about thirty men of Israel, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field. 32And the children of Benjamin said, “They are smitten down before us, as at the first”. But the children of Israel said, “Let us flee, and draw them from the city to the highways”. 33And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar; and those of Israel who were in ambush came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah. 34And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was severe; but the Benjamites did not know that evil was near them. 35And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed twenty-five thousand, one hundred Benjamites; all men who drew the sword, that day. 36Then children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten; for the men of Israel gave ground to the Benjamites, and trusted in the ambushers that they had set near Gibeah. 37And the ambushers rushed upon Gibeah; and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.

38Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambushers, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city. 39And when the men of Israel retreated in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and killed about thirty persons of Israel; for they said, “Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle”. 40But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and saw the flame of the city rising up to heaven. 41And when the men of Israel turned back, the men of Benjamin were surprized; when they saw that evil had come upon them. 42Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them; and they who came out of the cities destroyed in their midst. 43Thus they surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and trod them down with ease opposite Gibeah, toward the east. 44And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor. 45And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand of them. 46So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor. 47But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and stayed there four months. 48And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and struck them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as well as the livestock, and everything they found; they also set on fire all the cities that they came to.