4. The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, “My concubine and I went to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
5. The citizens of Gibeah came to attack me. They surrounded the house ⌊where I was staying⌋ that night. They intended to kill me, but instead, they raped my concubine until she died.
6. So I took my concubine and cut her into pieces. Then I sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel. I did this because the citizens of Gibeah did this perverted and godless thing in Israel.
7. All you people of Israel, tell me what you think. Give me your advice right now!”
8. All the people stood united, saying, “None of us will go to his tent or return to his house.
9. This is what we’ll do to Gibeah. We’ll decide by lot who should attack it.
10. We’ll take one-tenth of all the men from the tribes of Israel to get supplies for the troops. When the troops go to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin they can punish the citizens of Gibeah for the godless thing they did in Israel.”
11. So all the men of Israel assembled. They stood united against the city.
12. The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin. They asked, “How could such an evil thing happen among you?
13. Now hand over those worthless men in Gibeah. We must put them to death to rid ourselves of this kind of evil in Israel.”But the men of Benjamin refused to listen to the men of Israel.
14. So the men of Benjamin went from their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go to war with the men of Israel.
15. That day 26,000 men armed with swords came from Benjamin’s cities and organized for battle along with 700 of Gibeah’s best men.
16. Out of all these troops, the best 700 were left-handed. Each could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17. The men of Israel (Benjamin not included) totaled 400,000 soldiers armed with swords.
18. The men of Israel went to Bethel. They asked God, “Who will go first to fight Benjamin?”The Lord answered, “Judah will go first.”
19. The Israelites got up early in the morning and camped at Gibeah.
20. So the men of Israel went to war with the men of Benjamin. The Israelites formed their battle line facing Gibeah.
21. That day the men of Benjamin came out from Gibeah. They slaughtered 22,000 of Israel’s men.