Judges 20:7-18

⁷So all of you Israelites have to decide here and now what you're going to do about it!”

⁸Everyone stood up and unitedly declared, “None of us are going home to our tents! None of us are going home to our houses!

⁹This is what we're going to do to Gilboah: we will attack it with our forces chosen by lot.

¹⁰We'll take ten men from a hundred from all the Israelite tribes, then a hundred from a thousand, then a thousand from ten thousand, to arrange food for the army, so when the troops reach Gibeah in Benjamin, they can pay them back for all these disgusting things they've done in Israel.”

¹¹All the men of Israel were in agreement and gathered to attack the town.

¹²The Israelite tribes also sent men throughout the territory of Benjamin, asking the people, “What are you doing about this terrible evil that has taken place among you?

¹³Hand over these wicked men so we can execute them and get rid of this evil from Israel!” But the Benjamites refused to listen to what their fellow Israelites had to say.

¹⁴They left their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go and fight the other Israelites.

¹⁵That day a total of twenty-six thousand men armed with swords were called up from the towns of Benjamin, in addition to the seven hundred seasoned warriors from Gibeah.

¹⁶Making up part of this army were seven hundred experienced soldiers who used their left hands. All of them could fire a slingshot and not miss by even a hair's breadth.

¹⁷The Israelite army (excluding Benjamin) numbered four hundred thousand seasoned warriors, all armed with swords.

¹⁸The Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, “Which ones of us should be the first to go and fight the Benjamites?” “Judah is to go first,” the Lord replied.