14. The Benjaminites left their own cities and met at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.
15. In only one day the Benjaminites got 26,000 soldiers together who were trained with swords. They also had 700 chosen men from Gibeah.
16. Seven hundred of these trained soldiers were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss!
17. The Israelites, except for the Benjaminites, gathered 400,000 soldiers with swords.
18. The Israelites went up to the city of Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe shall be first to attack the Benjaminites?”The Lord answered, “Judah shall go first.”
19. The next morning the Israelites got up and made a camp near Gibeah.
20. The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjaminites and took their battle position at Gibeah.
21. Then the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and killed 22,000 Israelites during the battle that day.
22-23. The Israelites went before the Lord and cried until evening. They asked the Lord, “Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again?”The Lord answered, “Go up and fight them.” The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they took the same battle positions they had taken the first day.
24. The Israelites came to fight the Benjaminites the second day.
25. The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah to attack the Israelites. This time, the Benjaminites killed 18,000 Israelites, all of whom carried swords.
26. Then the Israelites went up to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to the Lord and fasted all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.
27. The Israelites asked the Lord a question. (In those days the Ark of the Agreement with God was there at Bethel.