The Crime at Gibeah and War with Benjamin

In the days when Israel had no king, a Levite went to Bethlehem to bring back his concubine, who had been staying at her father’s house. After repeated delays, he left late with her, his servant, and two donkeys. He would not stay in Jebus, so they went on to Gibeah in Benjamin. No one welcomed them until an old man took them in.

That night, wicked men of the city surrounded the house and demanded the visiting man. The old man called their plan wicked, but the Levite forced his concubine outside to them. They assaulted and abused her through the night. At dawn she fell at the doorway. In the morning she did not answer. The Levite took her home, cut up her body, and sent the pieces throughout Israel. All who saw this were horrified.

The tribes of Israel gathered before the Lord at Mizpah. The Levite told what had happened, and Israel demanded that Benjamin hand over the guilty men of Gibeah to be put to death. Benjamin refused and gathered for war. Israel also prepared for battle and asked God who should go first. Judah went first, but Benjamin struck down many Israelites on the first and second days.

Then Israel went to Bethel, wept before the Lord, fasted, and offered sacrifices. They asked again whether to fight Benjamin, and the Lord said to go, promising victory the next day. Israel set an ambush around Gibeah. In the third battle Benjamin was drawn away from the city, the ambush entered it, and Benjamin was defeated. Afterward, Israel struck the towns of Benjamin and burned them.

Afterward the Israelites grieved because one tribe had nearly disappeared. But they had sworn not to give their daughters to Benjamin. They discovered that Jabesh Gilead had not come to the assembly, so they sent twelve thousand men there. They killed the inhabitants and brought back four hundred young virgins for the survivors of Benjamin. Even then, there were not enough women for them.

So the leaders made another plan. They told the men of Benjamin to hide near Shiloh and carry off women from those who came out to dance at the yearly feast. The Benjaminites did so, then returned to their inheritance, rebuilt the towns, and lived in them. The book closes by explaining the darkness of those days: there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.