תנ״ך אויף הושע 9:9

It happened in those days, when there was no king in Yisroel, that there was a Levite man who dwelt in the foothills of Mount Ephraim. He took a concubine from Beis Lechem, in Yehudah. His concubine strayed from him, and went from him to her father's home—to Beis Lechem, in Yehudah. She remained there for a time—four months. Her husband rose, and followed her, to entice her into returning. He was accompanied by his servant, and a couple of donkeys. She brought him to her father's home. When the girl's father saw him, he approached him joyfully. His father-in-law, the girl's father, detained him. and he remained with him for three days. They ate and drank, and lodged there overnight. It happened, on the fourth day, that they arose early, and he rose to leave. The girl's father told his son-in-law, "Nourish yourself with a piece of bread; then you can depart." They seated themselves, and both ate and drank together. The girl's father told the man, "Please give your assent, and remain overnight and let your heart be glad." The man rose to depart, but his father-in-law insisted, so he returned, and remained there overnight. He arose early on the fifth day, to leave. The girl's father said, "Please, nourish yourself." They dallied until the sun's descent, and they both ate. The man rose to depart, he, his concubine, and his servant. His father-in-law, the girl's father, told him, "Look, please, the sun has waned, and is setting. Please remain overnight. It is the time of day for encamping. Remain here overnight, and let your heart be glad. Tomorrow you may rise early, be on your way, and proceed homeward." The man had no desire to remain overnight, so he rose, and departed. He arrived at an area facing Yevus, or Yerushalayim. He had with him a couple of saddled donkeys. His concubine was with him. They were at Yevus, and the sun had virtually set. The servant said to his master, "Come, please, let us turn in to this Yevusite city, and spend the night there." His master told him, "Let us not turn in to an alien city of non-Jews. Let us cross to Givoh." He told his servant, "Come and let us draw near to one of these places. We will spend the night at Givoh, or at Ramah." They crossed, and proceeded. the sun went down for them at Givoh of Binyomin. They turned in there, in order to enter Givoh and spend the night. He proceeded, and stationed himself in the city square, but not a single person invited them home to spend the night. Then an elderly man came from his business in the field during the evening. The man was from Mount Efraim, and lived at Givoh. The townspeople were Binyominites. He looked up, and noticed the visitor in the city square. The elderly man said, "Where are you going? Where are you from?" He said to him, "We are passing through, from Bais Lechem of Yehudah to the foothills of Mount Efraim. I am from there, but I travelled to Beis Lechem of Yehudah, and I am going to the Sanctuary of Adonoy. Not a single person has invited me home. There is ample straw and fodder for our donkeys; there is also bread and wine for me and for your maidservant, and for the lad accompanying your servant. Not a thing is lacking." The elderly man said, "Peace be with you! Just, whatever you lack is my responsibilty, only do not spend the night in the square." He brought him to his home, and fed produce to the donkeys. They washed their feet, and ate and drank. They were enjoying themselves, when the townspeople — scoundrels—surrounded the house, pounded at the door, and spoke to the elderly householder, saying, "Bring out the man visiting your home, we want to have relations with him." The man, the householder, went out to them, and told them, "Don't, my brothers, don't be sinful, please. As this man has visited my home, do not commit this loathsome act. Here is my virgin daughter and his concubine; please, let me bring them out to you—torment them, do with them as you see fit, but do not commit, against this man, this loathsome act." But the men had no desire to listen to him, so the man took hold of his concubine and brought her out to them. They had relations with her, and molested her all night long, until morning. They released her at daybreak. The woman returned toward morning. She collapsed at the entrance to the man's house where her husband was, until daylight. Her husband rose in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and stepped out to proceed on his way, but there was a woman—his concubine—lying prostrate at the entrance to the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, "Come, let us go!" but there was no answer. He took her and placed her on the donkey. The man got up and went to his place. He returned to his home. He took a knife, grasped his concubine, and dismembered her into twelve pieces. He sent them to all the borders of Yisroel. It happened then, that everyone who saw declared, "Nothing has happened or been seen to compare with this from the day that the Bnei Yisroel went up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider this, take counsel and speak!"

All the Bnei Yisroel went out. The community gathered as a single man, from Dan to B'er Sheva, and the territory of Gilod, before Adonoy at Mitzpah. They presented themselves—the leaders of the entire people—all the tribes of Yisroel, in the assembly of the people of God, Four hundred thousand sabre wielding infantrymen. The sons of Binyomin heard that the Bnei Yisroel had ascended to Mitzpah. The Bnei Yisroel said, "Speak up, how did this evil occur?" The Levite man answered—the husband of the murdered woman, saying, "I arrived at Givoh of Binyomin I and my concubine, to spend the night." The householders of Givoh rose against me, and encircled the house against me at night. They thought they would murder me, and they tortured my concubine to death. I took hold of my concubine, dismembered her, and sent her to every estate in the inheritance of Yisroel, for they behaved promiscuously and loathsomely in Yisroel. Here you are, all of you, Bnei Yisroel, Come up with a proclamation, with a plan, here!" All the people rose as a single man, exclaiming, "Not a man among us shall proceed to his tent, nor a man among us return to his home! This is the action we shall now take with Givoh; we shall draw lots against them. We shall select ten men from a hundred, of all the tribes of Yisroel; a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to supply the people with provisions when taking action in their engagement with Geva of Binyomin, as befits their entirely loathsome conduct in Yisroel." All the men in Yisroel mobilized at the city, as one man, as comrades. The tribes of Yisroel dispatched men to all the tribes of Binyomin, saying, "What is this evil that took place in your midst? Now, hand over the scoundrels in Givoh, so that we may execute them, and eradicate evil from Yisroel." But the sons of Binyomin refused to pay heed to the call of their brothers, the Bnei Yisroel. The sons of Binyomin mobilized from the cities to Givoh, in order to go to war against the Bnei Yisroel. The sons of Binyomin were counted that day. From the cities: twenty six thousand sabre wielding troops, aside from the inhabitants of Givoh, who numbered seven hundred elite troops. Of all these people, there were seven hundred elite troops with shriveled right hands. Each of them could hurl a stone at a hair and not miss. The Yisroelite troops were counted, aside from Binyomin: four hundred thousand sabre wielding troops, all of them warriors. They rose, ascended to Beis El, and inquired of God. The Bnei Yisroel said, "Who shall be the first to go up for us to wage war against the sons of Binyomin?" Adonoy replied, "Yehudah first." The Bnei Yisroel arose in the morning, and camped against Givoh. The Yisroelite troops advanced to engage in battle with Binyomin. The Yisroelite troops deployed in battle formation against them at Givoh. The sons of Binyomin advanced from Givoh. That day they crushed, among the Yisroelites, twenty-two thousand men to the ground. The people—the Yisroelite men—took courage, and again deployed in battle formation, in the area where they had deployed on the first day. The Bnei Yisroel ascended, and wept before Adonoy until evening. They inquired of Adonoy, saying, "Shall I further engage in warfare with the sons of my brother Binyomin?" Adonoy replied, "Go up against him." The Bnei Yisroel advanced toward the sons of Binyomin on the second day. Binyomin went forth toward them from Givoh on the second day. They crushed, of the Bnei Yisroel, an additional eighteen thousand men to the ground. All of them were sabre wielders. All of the Bnei Yisroel ascended—all the people—and arrived at Beis El. They wept, and sat there before Adonoy. They fasted that day until evening, and brought olah and shelamim offerings before Adonoy. The Bnei Yisroel inquired of Adonoy. The ark of God's covenant was there in those days. Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon stood before it in those days. Saying, "Shall I proceed again to wage war against the sons of my brother Binyomin, or shall I desist?" Adonoy replied, "Ascend, for tomorrow I shall deliver them into your hand." The Yisroelites positioned ambushers around the periphery of Givoh. Then the Bnei Yisroel ascended toward the Bnei Binyomin on the third day. They deployed their formations against Givoh as always. The Bnei Binyomin went forth toward the people, and were drawn from the city. They began inflicting casualties among the people, as always, at the highways where one road ascended to Beis El, and another to Givoh. In that field, [they slew] thirty Yisroelite troops. The Bnei Binyomin exclaimed, "They are crumbling before us, as before!" But the Bnei Yisroel said, "Let us flee, and draw them from the city, toward the highways." All the Yisroelite troops rose from their positions, and reorganized at Baal Tomor, while the Yisroel ambushers poured from their positions at Maareh Gov'ah. They advanced from across Givoh, ten thousand elite troops from all Yisroel—while the battle raged. They [the Binyomites] were oblivious that disaster loomed against them. Adonoy shattered Binyomin before Yisroel. The Bnei Yisroel annihilated, of Binyomin, on that day, twenty five thousand, one hundred troops, all of them sabre wielders. The Bnei Binyomin realized that they were shattered. The Yisroelite troops gave ground to Binyomin, since they relied on the ambushers whom they had positioned at Givoh. The ambushers charged, and fanned out toward Givoh. The ambushers sounded the signal, and struck down the entire city by the sword. A time frame was pre-arranged between the Yisroelite troops and the ambushers: when they would raise continuous clouds of smoke from the city. The Yisroelite troops retreated during the battle, and Binyomin began inflicting casualties among the Yisroelite troops, about thirty men, for they exclaimed, "They are crumbling before us, just as in the first battle." Then the cloud began to rise from the city—a column of smoke. Binyomin turned around, and the entire city had gone up heavenward. The Yisroelite troops reversed position. The Binyominite troops were appalled, as they realized that catastrophe was descending upon them. They turned from the Yisroelite troops toward the desert route, but the battle engulfed them; while those in the city demolished it from within. They enveloped [lit. crowned] Binyomin, called for their pursuit, and intercepted them at rest, up to the area facing Givoh to the east. There fell, from Binyomin, eighteen thousand troops, all of them powerful warriors. They turned, and fled toward the wilderness, rock of Rimon, but they gleaned them along the way—five thousand troops. They intercepted their flanks until Gid'om, striking down, of them, two thousand troops. All those who fell from Binyomin totaled twenty-five thousand sabre wielding troops on that day. They were all powerful warriors. They turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimon six hundred troops. They remained at the rock of Rimon four months. The Yisroelite troops turned to the Bnei Binyomin and struck them down by the sword, completely annihilating the cities, including the cattle and anything they came upon; also, all the cities they came upon they set ablaze.