21
Then the children of Benjamin came out from Gibeah, cutting down twenty-two thousand of the Israelites that day.
22
But the people, the men of Israel, taking heart again, put their forces in order and took up the same position as on the first day.
23
Now the children of Israel went up, weeping before the Lord till evening, requesting the Lord and saying, Am I to go forward again to the fight against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.
24
So the children of Israel went forward against the children of Benjamin the second day.
25
And the second day Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah, cutting down eighteen thousand men of the children of Israel, all swordsmen.
26
Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up to Beth-el, weeping and waiting there before the Lord, going without food all day till evening, and offering burned offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord.
27
And the children of Israel made request to the Lord, (for the ark of the agreement of the Lord was there in those days,
28
And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was in his place before it,) and said, Am I still to go on with the fight against the children of Benjamin my brother, or am I to give it up? And the Lord said, Go on; for tomorrow I will give him into your hands.
29
So Israel put men secretly all round Gibeah to make a surprise attack on it.
30
And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in fighting order against Gibeah as before.
31
And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, moving away from the town; and as before, at their first attack, they put to death about thirty men of Israel on the highways, of which one goes up to Beth-el and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country.