20 Then all the Israelis from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, and even from Gilead across the Yordan, came and assembled before Yahweh at Mitspah with one single, united purpose. 2 The leaders of all the Israeli tribes also came out to show their agreement with the assembly of the people of the true God: four hundred thousand warriors all carrying swords.

3 Meanwhile, the Benyamites had heard that the Israelis had gathered at Mitspah, and everyone asked, “Explain how this wicked thing came to happen.”

4 So the Levite man (the husband of the woman who had been murdered) answered, “I went to the Gibeah region (in Benyamin) with my slave-wife to spend the night. 5 The citizens of Gibeah conspired together against me. They surrounded the house at night because of me, intending to kill me. Instead, they assaulted and abused my slave-wife so that she died. 6 I took my slave-wife’s body back home and cut her in pieces, and I sent them out into every section of the territory that God gave Israel, because they’ve committed a heinous crime, and a disgrace to Israel. 7 Listen, all of you Israelis, what’s your advice? What should we do about it?.”

8 All the people agreed together and started saying, “We won’t go back to our families. We won’t return to our houses. 9 rather this is what we must do to Gibeah: choose by lot who will fight against them. 10 Choose a tenth of our men to go and get supplies for the other warriors to travel to Gibeah in Benyamin after what they did that outraged Israel. 11 So all Israel was united together against that city.

12 Then the Israeli tribes sent men across the Benyamite region to ask, “What’s this evil thing that’s been done among you? 13 So now, hand over those worthless men from the Gibeah region so that we can put them to death and purge Israel of that evil.” But the Benyamites weren’t willing to take the advice of their Israeli relatives. 14 They came out of their cities and assembled at Gibeah to the battle against the Israelis. 15 The Benyamites mobilised together twenty-six thousand men from their cities on that day, all carrying swords. In addition, seven hundred chosen men had been mobilised from the Gibeah region. 16 Among all of those people were seven hundred chosen left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing. 17 The Israelis (excluding Benyamites) mustered up for themselves four hundred thousand men—all expert warriors and all carrying swords.