The Israelites were united as one man from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, including those living in Gilead on the other side of the Jordan. Everyone assembled together before YAHWEH at Mizpah. All the leaders of all the people from the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people, four hundred thousand fighting men armed with swords. The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah. The Israelites said to them, “Tell us, how did this evil rape and murder happen?”
The Levite, whose mistress had been murdered, replied, “My mistress and I stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night. That night, the depraved men of Gibeah came after me to harm me, gathering around the house in the night where I was staying. They intended to kill me, but instead, they raped my mistress, and she died. This deliberate, outrageous act of depravity was committed in Israel! Therefore, I took her body and cut it in pieces and sent the pieces throughout every part of Israel. Now you Israelites must decide on a response! Let’s do something about it here and now!”
Then all the people stood in unison and declared, “None of us will go back to our cities or return to our homes. This is what we’re going to do to Gibeah: We’ll cast lots to choose who will fight against it. And we’ll take a tenth of the men of our tribes of Israel to carry supplies for our forces. When our army arrives at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, we’ll give them what they deserve for the outrageous, disgraceful act they committed in Israel.” So all the men of Israel united as one man to come against Gibeah.
The Israelite tribes sent couriers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this brutal crime that you have done? We demand that you surrender the depraved perverts from Gibeah who took part in this evil act. We’ll put them to death and purge the evil out of Israel.”
But the Benjamites refused to yield to the demands of their brothers the Israelites. Instead, the Benjamites gathered warriors from all their towns to come to Gibeah and fight their brothers, the Israelites. On that day, the Benjamites gathered a force from their towns of twenty-six thousand armed men, not including the seven hundred elite soldiers of Gibeah. Among Benjamin’s elite troops, seven hundred were left-handed, and each of them could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairbreadth without missing. The tribes of Israel had four hundred thousand experienced soldiers armed with swords, not counting Benjamin’s warriors.
Before the battle, the armies of Israel went to the house of God to seek counsel from God. The Israelites inquired, “Which tribe gets to go first to battle the Benjamites?”
YAHWEH answered, “Judah will go first.”
The Israelites got up the next morning and encamped near Gibeah. The men of Israel took up battle positions against the Benjamites at Gibeah, but the Benjamites rushed out of the city, and slaughtered twenty-two thousand Israelites.
The men of Israel encouraged one another and resumed their battle positions where they had lined up the first day. The Israelites wept before YAHWEH until evening, and they inquired of YAHWEH, “Should we go out again to battle with our brothers the Benjamites?” And YAHWEH answered, “Yes, go back into the battle!”
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