Judges 20:1-21

Coverdale^{(i) 1} Then wente the children of Israel out and gathered a congregacion together as one man, fro Dan vntill Bersaba, and from the londe of Gilead vnto the LORDE to Mispa: ² and there came together of all the quarters of the people, and of all the trybes of Israel in to the congregacion of the people of God, foure hundreth thousande fote men that drue out ye swerde. ³ But the children of BenIamin herde, how that ye children of Israel were gone vp vnto Mispa. And the children of Israel sayde: Tell vs, how happened this euell? ⁴ Then answered the Leuite the husbande of the woman that was slayne, and sayde: I came to Gibea in BenIamin with my concubyne, to tary there allnight, ⁵ then the cytesins of Gibea gat them vp agaynst me, and compased me aboute in the house by night, and thoughte to slaye me, and defyled my cocubyne, so that she dyed: ⁶ then toke I my cocubyne, and cut her in peces, and sent the peces in to euery countre of the inheritaunce of Israel: for they haue done an abhominacion and folye in Israel. ⁷ Beholde, here are ye children of Israel: aduyse you well, and take this matter in hande. ⁸ So all the people gat them vp as one ma, and sayde: Noma shal go in to his tente, ner departe to his house, ⁹ but this wil we do now agaynst Gibea: Let vs cast lot, ¹⁰ and take ten men of an hundreth, and an hundreth of a thousande, and a thousande of ten thousande, out of all ye trybes of Israel, yt they maie take fode for ye people, to come & do with Gibea BenIamin, acordynge to their folye which they haue done in Israel. ¹¹ Thus all the men of Israel beynge confederate, gathered them selues together as one man vnto the cite: ¹² and the trybes of Israel sent men vnto all the kinreds of BenIamin, and caused to saye vnto them: What maner of wickydnes is this, that is done amonge you? ¹³ Delyuer here therfore the men the children of Belial at Gibea, that we maye put them to death, and do awaye the euell out of Israel. Neuertheles the children of BenIamin wolde not folowe the voyce of their brethren the children of Israel, ¹⁴ but gathered them selues out of ye cities vnto Gibea, to go forth in battayll agaynst the children of Israel. ¹⁵ And the same daye were there nombred of the children of BenIamin out of the cities, sixe and twentye thousande men, that drue the swerde, beside the citesyns of Gibea of whom there were tolde seue hundreth chosen men. ¹⁶ And amoge all this people there were chosen out seuen hundreth men, which vsed not the right hande but the lefte, and yet wt the slynge coulde they touch an heer, and not mysse. ¹⁷ But the men of Israel, beside them of BeIamin, were nobred foure hudreth thousande, which drue the swerde, & were all men of armes. ¹⁸ And the children of Israel arose, and wente vp to the house of God (in Silo) and axed at God, and sayde: Who shall go vp for vs to beginne the battayll with ye children of BenIamin? The LORDE saide: Iuda shall begynne. ¹⁹ So the children of Israel gat the vp in ye mornige, & pitched ouer agaist Gibea, ²⁰ & euery man of Israel wete out to fighte with Ben Iamin, and set them selues in araye to fighte agaynst Gibea. ²¹ Then fell the children of Ben Iamin out of Gibea, and slewe the same daye amonge Israel two & twentye thousande to the grounde.