討伐基比亞
1於是，從但到別示巴以及基列的全體以色列人齊心來到米斯巴，聚集在耶和華面前。 2以色列各支派的首領都參加了這次上帝子民的聚會，當時有四十萬持刀的步兵。 3便雅憫人也聽見以色列人聚集在米斯巴的消息。以色列人問那個利未人：「請告訴我們，這件邪惡的事是怎麼發生的？」 4那利未人，就是被害女子的丈夫說：「我和我的妾到便雅憫的基比亞住宿。 5那天晚上，基比亞人攻擊我，包圍我們住宿的房子，要殺死我。他們把我的妾蹂躪致死。 6我就把她的屍體切成塊，送到以色列的各個地區，因為基比亞人做了邪惡、無恥的事。 7以色列人啊，你們看該怎麼處理吧！」
8眾人起來異口同聲地說：「我們誰也不回帳篷，誰也不回家。 9現在我們要抽籤去攻打基比亞。 10我們要從各支派中抽出十分之一的人負責運糧，等軍隊到達便雅憫的基比亞後，就可以討伐在以色列做出這種卑鄙之事的基比亞人。」 11於是，以色列人團結一致，一起去攻打那城。
12以色列各支派差人去對便雅憫各地的人說：「你們中間怎麼發生了這種邪惡的事！ 13現在把那些基比亞的無賴交出來，我們要處死他們，從以色列剷除罪惡。」便雅憫人卻充耳不聞， 14還從各城聚集到基比亞，要跟以色列人打仗。 15便雅憫人從各城召集了兩萬六千刀兵，還從基比亞召集了七百精兵。 16軍中有七百精兵善用左手甩石，毫髮不差。 17其他十一個以色列支派則召集了四十萬刀兵，個個善戰。
18以色列人到伯特利去求問上帝，說：「我們當中哪個支派應當先去攻打便雅憫人呢？」耶和華說：「猶大支派。」
19第二天清早，以色列人起來在基比亞附近安營， 20朝著便雅憫人擺開陣勢，準備攻打他們。 21便雅憫人從基比亞出來，當天殺了以色列軍兩萬二千人。 22以色列人重整士氣，仍在前一天列陣的地方列陣。 23列陣之前，他們在耶和華面前一直哀哭到晚上。他們求問耶和華，說：「我們應該再上去攻打我們的同胞便雅憫人嗎？」耶和華說：「要上去攻打他們。」
24第二天，以色列人前去攻打便雅憫人。 25便雅憫人從基比亞出來迎戰，又殺了以色列軍一萬八千刀兵。 26以色列全軍來到伯特利，坐在耶和華面前哀哭，那天他們一直禁食到晚上，又在耶和華面前獻上燔祭和平安祭。 27-28那時，上帝的約櫃就在那裡，亞倫的孫子、以利亞撒的兒子非尼哈任祭司。以色列人求問耶和華，說：「我們應該再去攻打我們的同胞便雅憫人嗎？還是退兵？」耶和華說：「去攻打吧，因為明天我必把他們交在你們手中。」
29以色列人在基比亞周圍設下伏兵。 30第三天，以色列人又像前兩次一樣在基比亞列陣，攻打便雅憫人。 31便雅憫人前來迎戰，被以色列人誘到城外。他們又像前兩次一樣擊殺以色列人，大約三十名以色列人死在通往基比亞和伯特利的兩條路上。 32便雅憫人說：「我們又像以前一樣打敗他們了。」但以色列人已經商議好，用詐敗的方法誘敵離城到大路上來。 33以色列全軍在巴力·他瑪列陣反攻，埋伏在基比亞西面的以色列人也衝了出來。 34有一萬以色列精兵從正面攻打基比亞，戰事非常激烈。便雅憫人大禍臨頭了仍懵然不知。 35耶和華幫助以色列人戰勝了便雅憫人。那天，以色列人殺了便雅憫兩萬五千一百刀兵。 36便雅憫人這才意識到自己戰敗了。
原來以色列人在便雅憫人面前詐敗，因為他們仰仗在基比亞附近設下的伏兵。 37那些伏兵迅速衝進基比亞，用刀殺了全城的人。 38以色列人和伏兵已有約定，伏兵在城內點起一股濃煙時， 39以色列人便轉身殺回。便雅憫人殺了詐敗的以色列軍大約三十人，以為像以前一樣打敗了他們。 40這時基比亞城已濃煙滾滾，便雅憫人回頭觀望，只見全城濃煙四起。 41以色列人轉身殺了回來，便雅憫人大驚失色，知道大禍臨頭了。 42他們從以色列人面前轉身逃往曠野，卻無法逃脫。以色列人從各城出來夾攻他們。 43以色列人圍攻便雅憫人，一路追殺他們直到基比亞的東邊。 44便雅憫人共死了一萬八千名勇士。 45餘下的人都逃往曠野的臨門巖，沿途有五千人被殺。以色列人追殺他們，一直追到基頓，又消滅了他們兩千人。 46那天，便雅憫人共死了兩萬五千名英勇的刀兵， 47只有六百人逃到了臨門巖，在那裡住了四個月。 48以色列人回師便雅憫境內，用刀將各城的男女老少以及牲畜全部殺死，又放火燒毀所有的城邑。
The Israelites Punish the Benjamites
1Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the Lord in Mizpah. 2The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, four hundred thousand men 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.”
4So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. 5During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. 6I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel’s inheritance, because they committed this lewd and outrageous act in Israel. 7Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do.”
8All the men rose up together as one, saying, “None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. 9But now this is what we’ll do to Gibeah: We’ll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots. 10We’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 Gibeah20:10 One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts Geba, a variant of Gibeah in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel.” 11So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city.
12The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What about this awful crime that was committed among you? 13Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.”
But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. 14From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. 15At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred able young men from those living in Gibeah. 16Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.
18The Israelites went up to Bethel20:18 Or to the house of God; also in verse 26 and inquired of God. They said, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?”
The Lord replied, “Judah shall go first.”
19The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. 20The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. 21The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day. 22But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. 23The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and they inquired of the Lord. They said, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”
The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”
24Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. 25This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords.
26Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. 27And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, 28with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?”
The Lord responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.”
29Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah. 30They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. 31The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads—the one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. 32While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,” the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”
33All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place on the west20:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. of Gibeah.20:33 Hebrew Geba, a variant of Gibeah 34Then ten thousand of Israel’s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was. 35The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. 36Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten.
Now the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah. 37Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword. 38The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city, 39and then the Israelites would counterattack.
The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, “We are defeating them as in the first battle.” 40But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke. 41Then the Israelites counterattacked, and the Benjamites were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come on them. 42So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the towns cut them down there. 43They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily20:43 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. 44Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters. 45As they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more.
46On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters. 47But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. 48The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire.
