Resolve to Punish the Guilty

⁸ Then all the people arose as one man, saying, "Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house. ⁹ "But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot. ¹⁰ "And we will take 10 men out of 100 throughout the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000 to supply food for the people, that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may punish them for all the disgraceful acts that they have committed in Israel." ¹¹ Thus all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man.

¹² Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has taken place among you? ¹³ "Now then, deliver up the men, the worthless ^F319 fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel." But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. ¹⁴ The sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. ¹⁵ From the cities on that day the sons of Benjamin were numbered, 26,000 men who draw the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were numbered, 700 choice men. ¹⁶ Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were numbered, 400,000 men who draw the sword; all these were men of war.

Civil War, Benjamin Defeated

¹⁸ Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, "Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?" Then the LORD said, "Judah shall go up first."

¹⁹ So the sons of Israel arose in the morning and camped against Gibeah. ²⁰ The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed for battle against them at Gibeah. ²¹ Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and felled ^F322 to the ground on that day 22,000 men of Israel. ²² But the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day. ²³ The sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him."

²⁴ Then the sons of Israel came against the sons of Benjamin the second day. ²⁵ Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and felled to the ground again 18,000 men of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword. ²⁶ Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. ²⁷ The sons of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, ²⁸ and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron's son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?" And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

²⁹ So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. ³⁰ The sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as at other times. ³¹ The sons of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. ³² The sons of Benjamin said, "They are struck down before us, as at the first." But the sons of Israel said, "Let us flee that we may draw them away from the city to the highways." ³³ Then all the men of Israel arose from their place and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar; and the men of Israel in ambush broke out of their place, even out of Maareh-geba. ³⁴ When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became fierce; but Benjamin did not know that disaster was close to them. ³⁵ And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day, all who draw the sword.

³⁶ So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. When the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, ³⁷ the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. ³⁸ Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city. ³⁹ Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, for they said, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle." ⁴⁰ But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them; and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven. ⁴¹ Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that disaster ^F337 was close to them. ⁴² Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel toward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them. ⁴³ They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the east. ⁴⁴ Thus 18,000 men of Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors. ⁴⁵ The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, but they caught 5,000 of them on the highways and overtook them at Gidom and killed 2,000 of them. ⁴⁶ So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors. ⁴⁷ But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. ⁴⁸ The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found.
 

A Song Celebrating the King's Marriage.

For the choir director; according to the Shoshannim. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.

¹ My heart overflows with a good theme;

I address my verses to the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

² You are fairer than the sons of men;

Grace is poured upon Your lips;

Therefore God has blessed You forever.

³ Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty ^F407 One,

In Your splendor and Your majesty!

⁴ And in Your majesty ride on victoriously,

For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;

Let Your right hand teach You awesome things.

⁵ Your arrows are sharp;

The peoples fall under You;

Your arrows are in the heart of the King's enemies.

⁶ Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;

A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

⁷ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You

With the oil of joy above Your fellows.

⁸ All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;

Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad.

⁹ Kings' daughters are among Your noble ladies;

At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

¹⁰ Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear:

Forget your people and your father's house;

¹¹ Then the King will desire your beauty.

Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him.

¹² The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;

The rich among the people will seek your favor.

¹³ The King's daughter is all glorious within;

Her clothing is interwoven with gold.

¹⁴ She will be led to the King in embroidered work;

The virgins, her companions who follow her,

Will be brought to You.

¹⁵ They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing;

They will enter into the King's palace.

¹⁶ In place of your fathers will be your sons;

You shall make them princes in all the earth.

¹⁷ I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations;

Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.

²³ And he called to him two of the centurions and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready by the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen." ²⁴ They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor. ²⁵ And he wrote a letter having this form:

²⁶"Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings.

²⁷"When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. ²⁸"And wanting to ascertain the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their Council; ^{F535 29}and I found him to be accused over questions about their Law, but under no accusation deserving death or imprisonment.

³⁰"When I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to bring charges against him before you."

³¹ So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² But the next day, leaving the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the barracks. ³³ When these had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴ When he had read it, he asked from what province he was, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, "I will give you a hearing after your accusers arrive also," giving orders for him to be kept in Herod's Praetorium.
 

Paul before Felix

"Since we have through you attained much peace, and since by your providence reforms are being carried out for this nation, ³ we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. ⁴ "But, that I may not weary you any further, I beg you to grant us, by your kindness, a brief hearing. ⁵ "For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. ⁶ "And he even tried to desecrate the temple; and then we arrested him. [We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. ⁷ "But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, ⁸ ordering his accusers to come before you.] By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain the things of which we accuse him." ⁹ The Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so.

¹⁰ When the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded:

"Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense,