The Judges & Ruth

Again the army of Binyamin went out against the people. Lured away from the city, they began attacking and killing some of the people, as they had the other times - they killed about thirty men of Isra'el in the countryside and on the roads, one of which goes up to Beit-El and the other to Giv'ah.

The army of Binyamin said, "They're defeated, just as before." But the army of Isra'el said, "Let's run off and draw them away from the city onto the roads."

All the men of Isra'el left their places and took up a battle position at Ba'al-Tamar, while the other Isra'el men burst out of their hiding places at Ma'areh-Geva.

Ten thousand men chosen out of all Isra'el came over to attack Giv'ah, and the combat was intense. But the army of Binyamin didn't know that they were about to be defeated.

For ADONAI routed Binyamin in Isra'el's presence; that day the army of Isra'el destroyed 25,100 men of Binyamin, all of whom carried swords;

and the people of Binyamin realized that they had been beaten. The men of Isra'el, trusting the ones they had put in place to ambush Binyamin, gave ground to the men of Binyamin.

Then the men who had been lying in wait rushed in on Giv'ah, drew their swords and destroyed the city.

The army of Isra'el and the ambushers had agreed that as a signal they would make a huge cloud of smoke rise from the city,

at which time the men of Isra'el would turn back. When this happened, Binyamin began to attack. They killed about thirty of Isra'el's men and said, "Clearly we're defeating them again, as in the first battle."

But when the smoke signal began rising from the city, the men of Binyamin looked behind them and saw the whole city going up to the sky in smoke.

Then, as the men of Isra'el reversed direction, those of Binyamin were overcome with terror. When they saw that disaster had come upon them,

they turned their backs on the men of Isra'el and made for the road to the desert. But the battle followed them, and those who came out of the city destroyed them from the rear.

They surrounded the men of Binyamin, chased them and trampled them down across from Giv'ah on the east.

Eighteen thousand men of Binyamin fell, all of them experienced soldiers.

They turned and fled toward the desert to the Rock of Rimmon; and 5,000 of them were killed on the roads. They followed them to Gid'om and killed another 2,000.

Thus the total number from Binyamin who fell that day was 25,000 experienced, sword-bearing soldiers.

But 600 turned and fled toward the desert to the Rock of Rimmon, and lived there four months.

The men of Isra'el turned back on the people of Binyamin and killed them with the sword, the entire city, the cattle and everything they found. Moreover, they set on fire all the cities they encountered.

The men of Isra'el had sworn in Mitzpah that none of them would let his daughter marry a man from Binyamin.

The people came to Beit-El and stayed there before God till evening crying out and weeping.

They said: "ADONAI, why has this come about in Isra'el? Why should there be today in Isra'el one tribe missing?"

The next day the people got up early, built an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

The people of Isra'el asked, "Who among the tribes of Isra'el did not come up to assemble before ADONAI? For they had made a great oath to put to death whoever didn't come up to ADONAI at Mitzpah.

The people of Isra'el became sorry for Binyamin their brother and said, "Today one tribe has been cut off from Isra'el.

How are we going to obtain wives for those who remain alive, since we've sworn by ADONAI that we won't let our daughters marry them?"