20Then the entire Israelite nation - from Dan to Beersheba, including the territory of Gilead - came out for war. The army assembled as one united force to God at Mizpah.H1121H3478H3318H5712H6950H259H376H1835H884H776H1568H3068H47092The 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.H6438H5971H7626H3478H3320H6951H5971H430H702H3967H505H376H7273H8025H27193While the Benjaminites were learning that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah, the Israelites asked, "Somebody tell us how this evil could happen?"H1121H1144H8085H1121H3478H5927H4709H559H1121H3478H1696H1961H74514So the Levite, 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.H3881H376H376H802H7523H6030H559H935H1390H1144H6370H38855But 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.H1167H1390H6965H5437H1004H5437H3915H1819H2026H6370H6031H41916So 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.H270H6370H5408H7971H7704H5159H3478H6213H2154H5039H34787So look, all you sons of Israel! Speak up and give us your advice!"H1121H3478H3051H1988H1697H60988Then the entire army stood up as a single unit and declared, "Nobody's going back to his tent, and nobody's going home!H5971H6965H259H376H559H376H3212H168H376H5493H10049This is what we'll do to Gibeah: we're going to assemble an army by lottery.H1697H6213H1390H148610We'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."H3947H6235H582H3967H7626H3478H3967H505H505H7233H3947H6720H5971H6213H935H1387H1144H5039H6213H347811That's how the army of Israel came to be gathered together to attack the city, united as a single unit.H376H3478H622H5892H2270H259H37612The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the entire tribe of Benjaminites to ask them, "What is this evil thing that has occurred among you?H7626H3478H7971H582H7626H1144H559H7451H196113Now then, hand over the men - those ungodly men, and we'll execute them in order to remove this evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites wouldn't obey the request of their own relatives, the Israelites,H5414H582H1121H1100H1390H4191H1197H7451H3478H1121H1144H14H8085H6963H251H1121H347814so the Benjaminites assembled from the cities of Gibeah to fight the Israelites in battle.H1121H1144H622H5892H1390H3318H4421H1121H347815The day of the battle, the Benjaminite army numbered 26,000 expert swordsmen from their cities, not including the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered 700 special forces soldiers.H1121H1144H6485H3117H5892H6242H8337H505H376H8025H2719H3427H1390H6485H7651H3967H977H37616Out of all these soldiers, 700 of them were left-handed - and each one could sling a stone at a hair and never miss.H5971H7651H3967H977H376H334H3027H3225H7049H68H8185H239817But the Israelite army - not counting the tribe of Benjamin - numbered 400,000 expert swordsmen, all of them battle-hardened soldiers.H376H3478H1144H6485H702H3967H505H376H8025H2719H376H442118The Israelites mounted up, traveled to Bethel, and asked God what to do. They said, "Who is to lead us in our opening attack against the Benjaminites?" The Lord replied, "Judah shall open the attack."H1121H3478H6965H5927H1004H430H1008H7592H430H559H4310H5927H8462H4421H1121H1144H3068H559H3063H846219So the Israelites got up in the morning, encamped near Gibeah,H1121H3478H6965H1242H2583H139020and the army of Israel went out to fight the tribe of Benjamin, assembling in battle array against them at Gibeah.H376H3478H3318H4421H1144H376H3478H6186H4421H139021The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah, and 22,000 soldiers of Israel fell in battle that day.H1121H1144H3318H1390H7843H776H3478H3117H6242H8147H505H37622But the army - the men of Israel?encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again the next day in the same place where they had gathered the day before.H5971H376H3478H2388H4421H3254H6186H4725H6186H7223H311723From there the Israelites went up and wept in the Lord's presence until evening. Then they asked the Lord, "Should we attack the descendants of Benjamin again?" The Lord replied, "Attack them."H1121H3478H5927H1058H6440H3068H6153H7592H3068H559H5066H3254H4421H1121H1144H251H3068H559H592724So the Israelites attacked the Benjaminites for a second day,H1121H3478H7126H1121H1144H8145H311725and the tribe of Benjamin went to war against them from Gibeah during that second day, and 18,000 soldiers from the Israelites - all expert swordsmen - fell to the ground.H1144H3318H7125H1390H8145H3117H7843H776H1121H3478H8083H6240H505H376H8025H271926All the Israelites, including its army, went up from there to Bethel and wept, remaining there in the Lord's presence, fasting throughout the day until dusk, when they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings in the Lord's presence.H1121H3478H5971H5927H935H1004H430H1008H1058H3427H6440H3068H6684H3117H6153H5927H5930H8002H6440H306827The Israelites inquired of the Lord, since the ark of the covenant was there at that timeH1121H3478H7592H3068H727H1285H430H311728while Eleazar's son Phinehas, a descendant of Aaron, served before it in those days. They asked, "Should we go out to war again against the descendants of our relative Benjamin, or shall we cease?" And the Lord answered, "Go out, and tomorrow I will deliver them into your control."H6372H1121H499H1121H175H5975H6440H3117H559H3254H3318H4421H1121H1144H251H2308H3068H559H5927H4279H5414H302729So Israel set soldiers in ambush around Gibeah.H3478H7760H693H5439H139030The Israelites went out against the Benjaminites on the third day, arraying themselves against Gibeah as they had done previously.H1121H3478H5927H1121H1144H7992H3117H6186H1390H647131They attacked the army and were drawn away from the city as they began to inflict casualties on the soldiers along the roads to Bethel and Gibeah, just as they had done the other times. About 30 soldiers from Israel fell in battle there and in the fields.30H1121H1144H3318H7125H5971H5423H5892H2490H5221H5971H2491H6471H4546H259H5927H1004H430H1008H259H1390H7704H7970H376H347832Then the Benjaminites told themselves, "They're falling right in front of us, just like before!" But the army of Israel said to themselves, "Let's draw them away by escaping to the highways from the city."H1121H1144H559H5062H6440H7223H1121H3478H559H5127H5423H5892H454633So the entire army of Israel moved from their location and arrayed themselves at Baal-Tamer while that part of their army moved from their ambush positions from Maareh-geba.H376H3478H6965H4725H6186H1193H693H3478H1518H4725H4629H138734As 10,000 of Israel's best soldiers came to fight Gibeah, the battle became fierce, but the army of Benjamin didn't know that disaster was close at hand.H935H5048H1390H6235H505H977H376H3478H4421H3513H3045H7451H506035The Lord struck Benjamin in the full view of Israel. As a result, the Israelites destroyed 25,100 soldiers of Benjamin that day, all expert swordsmen.H3068H5062H1144H6440H3478H1121H3478H7843H1145H3117H6242H2568H505H3967H376H8025H271936Then the Benjaminites realized that they had been defeated. The army of Israel pretended to retreat from the army of Benjamin, knowing that they had set some soldiers in ambush near Gibeah.H1121H1144H7200H5062H376H3478H5414H4725H1145H982H693H7760H139037The soldiers in ambush rushed out to attack Gibeah, deploying in force and executing the entire city with swords.H693H2363H6584H1390H693H4900H5221H5892H6310H271938Meanwhile, the army of Israel had arranged to signal their soldiers who had been hiding in ambush by sending up a cloud of smoke from the city.H4150H376H3478H5973H693H7235H4864H6227H5927H589239The army of Israel turned around in the battle, and the army of Benjamin began to attack and kill about 30 soldiers, thinking, "Now we're really defeating them, just like before."20H376H3478H2015H4421H1144H2490H5221H2491H376H3478H7970H376H559H5062H5062H6440H7223H442140But then the smoke began to rise from the city in a column. The army of Benjamin observed behind them that the whole city was going up in flames straight into the sky!H4864H2490H5927H5892H5982H6227H1145H6437H310H3632H5892H5927H806441At that point, as the army of Israel turned back to face the army of Benjamin, the army of Benjamin was filled with terror, because they realized that disaster was about to overtake them.H376H3478H2015H376H1144H926H7200H7451H506042So they turned tail and ran away from the army of Israel toward the wilderness, but they were overtaken in battle when soldiers came out from the cities to destroy them.H6437H6440H376H3478H1870H4057H4421H1692H5892H7843H843243They surrounded the army of Benjamin, pursuing them ceaselessly until they defeated them near the east-facing border of Gibeah.H3803H1145H3803H7291H1869H4496H5227H1390H4217H812144That's how 18,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin fell in battle, all of whom were valiant soldiers.H5307H1144H8083H6240H505H376H582H242845The rest of them turned and ran into the wilderness in the direction of the rock of Rimmon, but 5,000 of them were killed on the highways while 2,000 of them were overtaken and killed near Gidom.H6437H5127H4057H5553H7417H5953H4546H2568H505H376H1692H310H1440H5221H505H37646To sum up, the soldiers from the tribe of Benjamin who died that day totaled 25,000 men, all of them expert swordsmen and valiant soldiers.H5307H3117H1144H6242H2568H505H376H8025H2719H582H242847However, 600 soldiers ran into the wilderness in the direction of the rock of Rimmon, where they remained as fugitives for four months.H8337H3967H376H6437H5127H4057H5553H7417H3427H5553H7417H702H232048Meanwhile, the army of Israel went back to fight the surviving Benjaminites. They attacked the entire city with swords, including its cattle and everyone they could find. Then they set fire to all of the cities that they could find.H376H3478H7725H1121H1144H5221H6310H2719H4974H5892H5704H929H4672H7971H784H5892H4672