The Lord says,“ O Israel, ever since Gibeah, there has been only sin and more sin! You have made no progress whatsoever. Was it not right that the wicked men of Gibeah were attacked?

“以色列啊，你从基比亚的日子以来时常犯罪。你们的先人曾站在那里，现今住基比亚的人以为攻击罪孽之辈的战事临不到自己。

以色列啊，你从基比亚的日子以来就时常犯罪，他们仍停留在那里。攻击罪孽之辈的战事岂不会临到基比亚吗？

以色列啊，你从基比亚的日子以来就时常犯罪，他们仍停留在那里。攻击罪孽之辈的战事岂不会临到基比亚吗？

耶和华说：“以色列人啊，从基比亚的日子以来，你们一直不断地犯罪，从未改变。难道战祸没有临到基比亚的邪恶之辈吗？

以色列啊！从基比亚的日子以来，你就犯罪，他们仍然留在那里，难道攻击恶人的战祸不能在基比亚赶上他们吗？

以色列啊，你從基比亞的日子以來時常犯罪。你們的先人曾站在那裏，現今住基比亞的人以為攻擊罪孽之輩的戰事臨不到自己。

以色列啊，你從基比亞的日子以來就時常犯罪，他們仍停留在那裏。攻擊罪孽之輩的戰事豈不會臨到基比亞嗎？

以色列啊，你從基比亞的日子以來就時常犯罪，他們仍停留在那裏。攻擊罪孽之輩的戰事豈不會臨到基比亞嗎？

耶和華說：「以色列人啊，從基比亞的日子以來，你們一直不斷地犯罪，從未改變。難道戰禍沒有臨到基比亞的邪惡之輩嗎？

以色列啊！從基比亞的日子以來，你就犯罪，他們仍然留在那裡，難道攻擊惡人的戰禍不能在基比亞趕上他們嗎？

以色列啊，從基比亞的日子以來、你就時常犯罪了。以色列人仍然在那裏停留着；難道戰禍就不能在基比亞趕上他們麼？對驕橫之輩

以色列歟、爾之干罪、較在基比亞時為尤甚、彼眾立於基比亞、以免攻不義者之戰及之、

耶和華曰、昔在其庇亞、以色列族犯罪、至於今、若出一轍、余將降災於惡人、其庇亞之民豈能逭罰、

昔在基比亞、以色列犯罪、自其時以來、爾恆犯罪、其時爾曹先人、立於基比亞、護彼惡類、免被徵伐、

“ Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, Israel, and there you have remained. Will not war again overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?

The Lord says,“ Israel, you have done evil things ever since your people sinned at Gibeah long ago. And you are still doing what is evil. War will come again to those who sinned at Gibeah.

From the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued. Shall not the war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah?

Israel, you have sinned since the days of Gibeah; they have taken their stand there. Will not war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah?

Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel; There they stand! Will the battle against the sons of injustice not overtake them in Gibeah?

“ O Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah; There they stood. The battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity Did not overtake them.

O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood; the battle against the children of iniquity doth not overtake them in Gibeah.

Israel, you have sinned since the days of Gibeah; they have taken their stand there. Will not war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah?

O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.

O Israel, you have sinned since the time of Gibeah, and there you have remained. Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?

“ Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah. There they remained. The battle against the children of iniquity doesn’t overtake them in Gibeah.

The things my people do are as depraved as what they did in Gibeah long ago. God will not forget. He will surely punish them for their sins.

“ I have wiped out many nations, devastating their fortress walls and towers. Their streets are now deserted; their cities lie in silent ruin. There are no survivors— none at all.I thought,‘ Surely they will have reverence for me now! Surely they will listen to my warnings. Then I won’t need to strike again, destroying their homes.’ But no, they get up early to continue their evil deeds.

Israel had 400,000 experienced soldiers armed with swords, not counting Benjamin’s warriors.Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God,“ Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Benjamin?” The Lord answered,“ Judah is to go first.”So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah.Then they advanced toward Gibeah to attack the men of Benjamin.But Benjamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.But the Israelites encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day.For they had gone up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the Lord until evening. They had asked the Lord,“ Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again?” And the Lord had said,“ Go out and fight against them.”So the next day they went out again to fight against the men of Benjamin,but the men of Benjamin killed another 18,000 Israelites, all of whom were experienced with the sword.Then all the Israelites went up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the Lord and fasted until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.The Israelites went up seeking direction from the Lord.( In those days the Ark of the Covenant of God was in Bethel,and Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron was the priest.) The Israelites asked the Lord,“ Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again, or should we stop?” The Lord said,“ Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”So the Israelites set an ambush all around Gibeah.They went out on the third day and took their positions at the same place as before.When the men of Benjamin came out to attack, they were drawn away from the town. And as they had done before, they began to kill the Israelites. About thirty Israelites died in the open fields and along the roads, one leading to Bethel and the other leading back to Gibeah.Then the warriors of Benjamin shouted,“ We’re defeating them as we did before!” But the Israelites had planned in advance to run away so that the men of Benjamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn away from the town.When the main group of Israelite warriors reached Baal tamar, they turned and took up their positions. Meanwhile, the Israelites hiding in ambush to the west of Gibeah jumped up to fight.There were 10,000 elite Israelite troops who advanced against Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that Benjamin didn’t realize the impending disaster.So the Lord helped Israel defeat Benjamin, and that day the Israelites killed 25,100 of Benjamin’s warriors, all of whom were experienced swordsmen.Then the men of Benjamin saw that they were beaten. The Israelites had retreated from Benjamin’s warriors in order to give those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver against Gibeah.Then those who were hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the town.They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town as a signal.When the Israelites saw the smoke, they turned and attacked Benjamin’s warriors. By that time Benjamin’s warriors had killed about thirty Israelites, and they shouted,“ We’re defeating them as we did in the first battle!”But when the warriors of Benjamin looked behind them and saw the smoke rising into the sky from every part of the town,the men of Israel turned and attacked. At this point the men of Benjamin became terrified, because they realized disaster was close at hand.So they turned around and fled before the Israelites toward the wilderness. But they couldn’t escape the battle, and the people who came out of the nearby towns were also killed.The Israelites surrounded the men of Benjamin and chased them relentlessly, finally overtaking them east of Gibeah.That day 18,000 of Benjamin’s strongest warriors died in battle.The survivors fled into the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon, but Israel killed 5,000 of them along the road. They continued the chase until they had killed another 2,000 near Gidom.So that day the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 strong warriors armed with swords,leaving only 600 men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon, where they lived for four months.And the Israelites returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns— the people, the livestock, and everything they found. They also burned down all the towns they came to.

Give up those evil men, those troublemakers from Gibeah, so we can execute them and purge Israel of this evil.” But the people of Benjamin would not listen.Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.

While they were enjoying themselves, a crowd of troublemakers from the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man,“ Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him.”The old man stepped outside to talk to them.“ No, my brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. For this man is a guest in my house, and such a thing would be shameful.Here, take my virgin daughter and this man’s concubine. I will bring them out to you, and you can abuse them and do whatever you like. But don’t do such a shameful thing to this man.”But they wouldn’t listen to him. So the Levite took hold of his concubine and pushed her out the door. The men of the town abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, at dawn they let her go.At daybreak the woman returned to the house where her husband was staying. She collapsed at the door of the house and lay there until it was light.When her husband opened the door to leave, there lay his concubine with her hands on the threshold.He said,“ Get up! Let’s go!” But there was no answer. So he put her body on his donkey and took her home.When he got home, he took a knife and cut his concubine’s body into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each tribe throughout all the territory of Israel.Everyone who saw it said,“ Such a horrible crime has not been committed in all the time since Israel left Egypt. Think about it! What are we going to do? Who’s going to speak up?”

And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself,“ I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things.

That night some of the leading citizens of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead.

“ But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.