The War on Benjamin

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:04 Speaker 2: Come back with me, and all shall be as it was. 00:00:10 Speaker 1: As it was. 00:00:12 Speaker 3: I was neither wife nor slave, neither free nor bound. I didn't have you recovering as a wife, nor did I have the resigned. 00:00:21 Speaker 2: Role as a slave. 00:00:23 Speaker 1: How do I return to such a life? The road wound downward into the valley, and soon the lights of Gibea came into view. What are you doing here? 00:00:33 Speaker 3: You shouldn't be here in the square after dark. 00:00:36 Speaker 1: The words were barely spoken when a noise broke the stillness, faint, eerie laughter from somewhere outside. The levite stiffened his hand, drifting to the hilt of his dagger. The laughter grew louder, joined by the sound of footsteps and muffled voices. 00:00:54 Speaker 4: Ah, we want one of those pretty guests you have in there? 00:01:00 Speaker 3: Not being selfish and let us have one. 00:01:03 Speaker 4: Well, it's not going to be me. 00:01:05 Speaker 1: His gaze fell on his concubine, who cowered in the corner, her eyes wide with terror. Slowly he approached her, his hand trembling as he reached for her. 00:01:18 Speaker 3: It's either you, hobby master. You can't be serious, is that you volunteering? 00:01:23 Speaker 2: Ash Father I'm not going to throw myself up there, now, help me grab up. 00:01:29 Speaker 1: No, no, please, don't do this. The men descended on her like wolves. Their laughter turned to savage howls. The night stretched on endlessly, her cries echoing in his mind, until they finally fell silent. Shagia lifted the concubine's body from the donkey and laid her on the table. 00:01:51 Speaker 2: Listening, love you, Her death will be a message reling. 00:02:03 Speaker 1: A great fire blazed in the heart of the valley at Misper, its embers spiraling upward into the ink black sky around it gathered the warriors of Israel, four hundred thousand men strong. Tens ringed the valley, and sentinels stood watch. But all eyes now were fixed on the Levite who stood at the fire's edge. He had gathered them to speak about what happened in Benjamin, how they had brutally slaughtered his concubine. The Levite's voice trembled, though whether from grief or something darker was unclear. 00:02:42 Speaker 4: They were like beasts. 00:02:44 Speaker 1: The men of uy. 00:02:46 Speaker 2: Surrounded the house. What I stayed crappiness as wolves. The man away with me, a levite, a servant of cloud. When I refused, He grabbed my concubiners. 00:03:00 Speaker 1: Oh night long. 00:03:02 Speaker 2: They amused her, and she cried out for mercy. 00:03:05 Speaker 4: What done came witness sun rose? 00:03:10 Speaker 3: She crowed back to the dawn. 00:03:12 Speaker 1: When she died, the elders sat silent, the flicker of the flames reflected in their grave expressions. Shagear liked their attention. His tone became more emphatic and dramatized the more he spoke. 00:03:27 Speaker 2: They are right, the ancient cities of Sodom and Kamorra godless. I cut my compliminded bisiness, and sent her body to you, not out of hatred? What is a message? Will you allow this outrage to go unanswered? How would the people of Israel respond to such the gravity within their borders? 00:03:51 Speaker 1: His words hung heavy in the air, but not all with the truth. The Levite spoke of the horror he witnessed, but not of his complex city. He failed to mention how he thrust the woman into the hands of the mob to save his own life, nor how he had abandoned her. His guilt was cloaked in righteous indignation. Such is the way of people. They can't live with their own sinfulness, so they focus on the sins of others. At last, after Shagear had concluded his summary of events, the elder of Judah rose, his weathered hand rested on the pommel of his sword. 00:04:31 Speaker 3: The tribe of Juda will not return on injustice. We will march. This is not the first woman mentioned has afflicted in this If we do not act now, this sim will festa has spread and all of Israel and suffered. The tribe of Woman agrees with the tribal Juda. 00:04:55 Speaker 4: They should cast lots to decide the. 00:04:57 Speaker 3: Order of battle. 00:04:59 Speaker 1: One tenth of the company shall gather provisions to sustain the army. From the circle of firelight, the elder from the tribe of Dan stood. Shagear recognized him. He was the same man who had led the raiding party and stolen mikas Idol. 00:05:15 Speaker 3: We have had dealings with the Benjamines. When they come to Gibea, we will offer them a chance to repent. They refuse to ruin the judgment they deserve. 00:05:27 Speaker 1: The elders all nodded their faces grim. The Levite watched as they drew their swords, the firelight catching on the steel, and his heart swelled with a sense of vindication. The soldiers dispersed to prepare for war, and the valley roared with the sound of sharpening blades, hawering iron, and solemn oaths. Yet beneath the fervor, something more profound stirred. This was not nearly a war against Benjamin. It was a war against a sin festering within Israel itself, a reckoning with the idolatry, greed, and lust that had long plagued the nation. The coming battle would be as messy and painful as the sin its sword to purge. The valley of Gibeah lay under a sky heavy with storm clouds, dark and restless. A cold wind swept through the hills, carrying with it the promise of rain. Twenty six thousand Benjamin stood a raid for battle, their swords glinting dully in the gray light. Among them were seven hundred left handed slingers, men whose skill with a stone was so precise they could strike a hare without missing. They stood poised and ready, their faces hard with defiance. 00:06:55 Speaker 5: Now the elder brothers of Israel rule over us as taskmasters. Ready yourself for a fight, men, no mercy, no red trate. 00:07:07 Speaker 1: Israel gathered above the valley four hundred thousand stroll, their banners snapping in the wind. Before them stood the tribe of Judah, chosen to lead by the lord's decree. The young men of Judah tightened their armor and hefted their shields. At the sound of the Ram's horn, they descended, and their ranks orderly and their arms resonant. The armies collided with a thunderous crash, the cries of men and a clang of swords rising into the air like a dirt. At first, Israel's numbers gave them the advantage and the Benjamites were driven back, but the left handed slingers position along the flanks unleashed a volley of stones. The missiles tore through the Israelite ranks, and hundreds fell In the chaos. The Benjamites surged forward, exploiting confusion, and the day ended in disaster. Twenty two thousand Israelites lay dead. 00:08:08 Speaker 3: That night. 00:08:09 Speaker 1: Israel retreated to their camp around their fires. The warriors mourned, but their resolve did not falter. At Bethel, the elders bowed before the ark of the Covenant, their voices trembling with urgency. 00:08:24 Speaker 3: Shall we go up again to fight against Benjamin our brother, you shall go up. 00:08:31 Speaker 1: The next morning, they returned to the battlefield. This time their forces were divided to guard against the Slinger's flank. The battle was fierce and bloody, but the result was the same. Another eighteen thousand Israelites fell. They returned to their camp with heavy hearts, their faith shaken. At Bethel, the elders wept aloud, their faces pressed to the earth. They offered sacrifices, their hearts roaring exposed, and cried out to God. 00:09:02 Speaker 3: Shall we go up again? What is your will? Lord? 00:09:06 Speaker 1: This time the answer came with a promise, go up, for I have given them into the hands. On the third day, as the storm clouds rolled in from the east, Israel prepared for a final assault. Ten thousand men were positioned in ambush along the roads, hidden among the rocks and trees. The rest marched to the valley, their swords gleaming despite the encroaching rain. Have you come back for more? 00:09:38 Speaker 3: The results will be the same. This is your final chance, ben Benjamin, repent or face the Lord. The Lord. 00:09:49 Speaker 4: I look around you. The Lord has retreated from the hills. We are what remains. We are the lords, our own tribes. 00:10:00 Speaker 3: We will do what pleases us very well, men of Judah, And already the. 00:10:07 Speaker 1: Ram's horns seldid and the two armies clashed once more. The Benjamites fought fiercely, their confidence bolstered by two victories. When Israel feigned a retreat, the Benjamites gave Chase, certain of another triumphant but as they pursued, the ambush was sprung. The hidden forces from Ubens surged from their positions, cutting off the Benjamites retreat. The valley became a cauldron of death. Lightning flashed, illuminating the field, and the rain began to fall, mixing with the blood that soaked the earth. The cries of the wounded and dying echoed through the storm as the Israelites pressed forward. Eighteen thousand Benjamites. 00:10:52 Speaker 3: Fell, good right, good right for the wild. 00:10:57 Speaker 1: The survivors fled into the wilds, but they refuge whatso fast the tribe of Dan was waiting for them. Five thousand were struck down along the roads, and two thousand more fell at Giddam. By the end, only six hundred Benjamites remained hiding in the crags of Rimen. When the battle ended, Israel turned their fury upon the cities of Benjamin. Towns and villages were burned, their people slaughtered, and their fields reduced to ash. The flames rose high, purging the shame of the nation, yet leaving behind a bitter emptiness. The fire cleansed the land, but it could not cleanse the hearts of Israel. For months, the six hundred Benjamite survivors clung to life in the wilderness, outcasts of their own nation. But even in their brokenness, the law did not abandon them. In time, Israel ented and Benjamin was restored. From their remnant would rise a king flawed yet chosen, a sign that even in judgment, God's hand worked toward redemption. Israel's war against Benjamin was more than a battle of blood and steel. It was a reckoning with their own depravity, a cry for deliverance from the whirlwind of sin that had ensnared them. And though this story ended in ashes, it pointed to a greater need, a king who would not fall to sin, a savior who would lead them with love and strength. One day he would come. This prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina max Bard, Zach Slabager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Alto Fianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland, Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review,