Judges 20:1-21 ▼

1 Then the entire Israeli nation—from Dan to Beer-sheba, including the territory of Gilead—came out for war. The army assembled as one united force to God at Mizpah.

2 The officials of the entire nation, including every tribe of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God: 400,000 foot soldiers, all of them expert swordsmen.

3 While the descendants of Benjamin were learning that the Israelis had gone up to Mizpah, the Israelis asked, |Somebody tell us how this evil could happen?|

4 So the descendant of Levi, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up and replied, |I came to spend the night at Gibeah, which is part of Benjamin, along with my mistress.

5 But the officials of Gibeah attacked me and surrounded the house because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they tortured my mistress to death.

6 So I grabbed my mistress, cut her in pieces, and sent her remains throughout the territory of Israel's inheritance, because they've committed a vile, stupid outrage in Israel.

7 So look, all you Israelis! Speak up and give us your advice!|

8 Then the entire army stood up as a single unit and declared, |Nobody's going back to his tent, and nobody's going home!

9 This is what we'll do to Gibeah: we're going to assemble an army by lottery.

10 We'll take ten men out of 100 from all of the tribes of Israel. We'll appoint 100 out of 1,000 and 1,000 out of 10,000 to supply provisions for the army. And when we reach Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, we'll punish them for all of the stupid things that they've done in Israel.|

11 That's how the army of Israel came to be gathered together to attack the city, united as a single unit.

12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the entire tribe of Benjamin to ask them, |What is this evil thing that has occurred among you?

13 Now then, hand over the men—those ungodly men, and we'll execute them in order to remove this evil from Israel.| But the descendants of Benjamin wouldn't obey the request of their own relatives, the Israelis,

14 so the descendants of Benjamin assembled from the cities of Gibeah to fight the Israelis in battle.

15 The day of the battle, the army from the descendants of Benjamin numbered 26,000 expert swordsmen from their cities, not including the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered 700 special forces soldiers.

16 Out of all these soldiers, 700 of them were left-handed—and each one could sling a stone at a hair and never miss.

17 But the Israeli army—not counting the tribe of Benjamin—numbered 400,000 expert swordsmen, all of them battle-hardened soldiers.

18 The Israelis mounted up, traveled to Bethel, and asked God what to do. They said, |Who is to lead us in our opening attack against the descendants of Benjamin?| The LORD replied, |Judah is to open the attack.|

19 So the Israelis got up in the morning, encamped near Gibeah,

20 and the army of Israel went out to fight the tribe of Benjamin, assembling in battle array against them at Gibeah.

21 The descendants of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and 22,000 soldiers of Israel fell in battle that day.