The Berean Pursuit
Now in those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But she was unfaithful to him and left him to return to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah.
After she had been there four months, her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back, taking his servant and a pair of donkeys. So the girl brought him into her father's house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. His father-in-law, the girl's father, persuaded him to stay, so he remained with him three days, eating, drinking, and lodging there.
On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you can go." So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl's father said to the man, "Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart be merry." The man got up to depart, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.
On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning to depart, but the girl's father said, "Please refresh your heart." So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate. When the man got up to depart with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Look, the day is drawing to a close. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, that your heart may be merry. Then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey home."
But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine. When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, "Please, let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here."
But his master replied, "We will not turn aside to the city of foreigners, where there are no Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah." He continued, "Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah."
So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. They stopped to go in and lodge in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one would take them into his home for the night.
That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the field. When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going, and where have you come from?"
The Levite replied, "We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the LORD; but no one has taken me into his home, even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack."
"Peace to you," said the old man. "Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square." So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.
While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can have relations with him!"
The owner of the house went out and said to them, "No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage. Look, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man's concubine, and you can use them and do with them as you wish. But do not do such a vile thing to this man."
But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. Early that morning, the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, collapsed at the doorway, and lay there until it was light.
In the morning, when her master got up and opened the doors of the house to go out on his journey, there was his concubine, collapsed in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. "Get up," he told her. "Let us go." But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. And everyone who saw it said, "Nothing like this has been seen or done from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until this day. Think it over, take counsel, and speak up!"
Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah. The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords. (Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, "Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?"
So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: "I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died. Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel's inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now."
Then all the people stood as one man and said, "Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house. Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates. We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel."
So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city. And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil."
But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites. And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites. On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah. Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.
The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.
The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, "Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?"
"Judah will be first," the LORD replied.
The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.
And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day. They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, "Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?"
And the LORD answered, "Go up against them."
On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites. That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.
Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, "Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?"
The LORD answered, "Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."
So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah. On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before. The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah.
"We are defeating them as before," said the Benjamites.
But the Israelites said, "Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads."
So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah. Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them. The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated.
Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah. The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, the men of Israel would turn in the battle.
When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, "They are defeated before us as in the first battle." But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.
Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them. So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there. They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.
Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.
That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor. But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.
Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, "Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite."
So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly. "Why, O LORD God of Israel," they cried out, "has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!"
The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. The Israelites asked, "Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?" For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.
And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, "Today a tribe is cut off from Israel. What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?"
So they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?" And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there.
So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: "Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children. This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man."
So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon. And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.
The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
Then the elders of the congregation said, "What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?" They added, "There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. But we cannot give them our daughters as wives."
For the Israelites had sworn, "Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite."
"But look," they said, "there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."
So they commanded the Benjamites: "Go, hide in the vineyards and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, 'Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.'?"
The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them. And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance.
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. And when this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language.
Astounded and amazed, they asked, "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
Astounded and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
But others mocked them and said, "They are drunk on new wine!"
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and addressed the crowd: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only the third hour of the day! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out My Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on My menservants and maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness,
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.'
Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. He was delivered up by God's set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.
David says about Him:
'I saw the Lord always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will dwell in hope,
because You will not abandon my soul to Hades,
nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence.'
Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses.
Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says:
'The Lord said to my Lord,
"Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies
a footstool for Your feet."?'
Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!"
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off-to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself."
With many other words he testified, and he urged them, "Be saved from this corrupt generation." Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs.
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.
With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.