Judges 20:15-27

¹⁵The people of Benjamin brought together from their cities to fight on that day twenty-six thousand soldiers who were trained to fight with the sword. In addition, there were seven hundred of their chosen men from the inhabitants of Gibeah.

¹⁶Among all these soldiers were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Each of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷The people of Israel, not counting the number from Benjamin, numbered 400,000 men, who were trained to fight with the sword. All of these were men of war.

¹⁸The people of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked for advice from God. They asked, “Who first will attack the people of Benjamin for us?” Yahweh said, “Judah will attack first.”

¹⁹The people of Israel got up in the morning and they moved their camp near Gibeah.

²⁰The people of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin. They set up their battle positions against them at Gibeah.

²¹The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and they killed twenty-two thousand men of the army of Israel on that day.

²²But the people of Israel strengthened themselves and they formed the battle line in the same place where they had taken positions on the first day.

²³Then the people of Israel went up and they wept before Yahweh until evening, and they sought direction from Yahweh. They said, “Should we go again to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” Yahweh said, “Attack them!”

²⁴So the people of Israel went against the soldiers of Benjamin the second day.

²⁵On the second day, Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah and they killed eighteen thousand men from the people of Israel. All were men who trained to fight with the sword.

²⁶Then all the soldiers of Israel and all the people went up to Bethel and wept, and there they sat before Yahweh and they fasted that day until the evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

²⁷The people of Israel asked Yahweh—for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,