5
And the townsmen of Gibeah came together against me, going round the house on all sides by night; it was their purpose to put me to death, and my servant-wife was violently used by them and is dead.
6
So I took her, cutting her into parts which I sent through all the country of the heritage of Israel: for they have done an act of shame in Israel.
7
Here you all are, you children of Israel; give now your suggestions about what is to be done.
8
Then all the people got up as one man and said, Not one of us will go to his tent or go back to his house:
9
But this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by the decision of the Lord;
10
And we will take ten men out of every hundred, through all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, a thousand out of every ten thousand, to get food for the people, so that they may give to Gibeah of Benjamin the right punishment for the act of shame they have done in Israel.
11
So all the men of Israel were banded together against the town, united like one man.
12
And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin saying, What is this evil which has been done among you?
13
Now give up those good-for-nothing persons in Gibeah so that we may put them to death, clearing away the evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not give ear to the voice of their brothers, the children of Israel.
14
And the children of Benjamin came together from all their towns to Gibeah, to go to war with the children of Israel.
15
And the children of Benjamin who came that day from the towns were twenty-six thousand men armed with swords, in addition to the people of Gibeah, numbering seven hundred of the best fighting-men,