From Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, and even across the Jordan into Gilead, all Israel rose as one. The land trembled beneath the steps of four hundred thousand men armed with swords as they gathered before the Lord at Mizpah.
There, beneath the open sky, stood the leaders of every tribe — faces hard, hearts burning with grief and fury. The Levite stepped forward, the echo of his tragedy still fresh in their minds.
"My concubine and I came to Gibeah," he said, voice breaking but steady. "There, men of Benjamin surrounded the house. They meant to kill me. They defiled her until she died. I cut her body and sent it through Israel, for such a crime has never been committed among God's people. Tell me, Israel — what shall be done?"
The assembly rose as one man. "We will not return home until justice is done," they swore. "We will go against Gibeah and cleanse the evil from among us."
Messengers were sent into Benjamin, demanding, "Surrender the wicked men of Gibeah, that they may die for their crime."
But Benjamin refused. Instead, they rallied twenty-six thousand warriors, including seven hundred chosen men—left-handed and deadly, able to sling a stone at a single hair and never miss.
Across from them, Israel's army stood vast — four hundred thousand strong.
Before the battle began, Israel sought the counsel of the Lord at Bethel. "Who shall go first?" they asked. And the Lord answered, "Judah shall go first."
The next day, battle raged. But Benjamin struck first — and twenty-two thousand Israelites fell that day.
Still, Israel did not retreat. They wept before the Lord until evening. "Shall we go again against our brothers?" they cried. And the Lord said, "Go up against them."
The second day came, and once more Benjamin prevailed — eighteen thousand Israelites were cut down by their own kin.
Broken and weeping, Israel gathered again at Bethel. They fasted, offered sacrifices, and cried out before the ark of the covenant, where Phinehas, son of Eleazar, stood as priest.
"Shall we continue this fight, or shall we stop?" they pleaded.
Then the Lord spoke:
"Go. For tomorrow, I will give them into your hands."
And so Israel set an ambush around Gibeah.
At dawn, they faced the Benjamites again. As before, Benjamin came out, bold and sure of victory. They struck down about thirty Israelites, laughing, "We are winning again!"
But this time, Israel's retreat was a trap. From Baal Tamar and the west of Gibeah, ten thousand of Israel's finest warriors charged. The hidden ambush stormed into the city and set it ablaze. Smoke rose to the heavens like a signal of judgment.
When the Benjamites turned and saw the city in flames, terror seized them. The cry of battle surrounded them from every side. They fled toward the wilderness, but there was no escape.
Eighteen thousand of Benjamin's warriors fell that day — all valiant men. Five thousand more were struck down along the road. Two thousand perished at Gidom. By the end, twenty-five thousand of Benjamin's swordsmen lay dead.
Only six hundred remained, fleeing to the Rock of Rimmon in the desert, where they hid for four months.
Then, in sorrow and wrath, Israel turned back through the land of Benjamin, burning every town, slaying every creature, until the smoke of destruction rose over the ashes of their own brother tribe.