The Israelites went up to Bethel to inquire of God which tribe was the first to attack the tribe of Benjamin.
The Lord answered, "The house of Judah."
So the Israelites got up early in the morning and camped near the city of Gibeah. And they went out, and fought with the children of Benjamin, and set the battle in array against the city.
The army of Benjamin came out of the city, and before the sun went down they killed 22,000 Israelite soldiers.
The people of Israel went up again to Bethel and prayed before the Lord until evening.
They asked him, "Shall we go to war again with our brothers who belong to the tribe of Benjamin?"
The Lord answered, "Yes."
So the Israelites were encouraged and again stationed their troops in the same place where they had been the day before.
The Israelites again attacked the tribe of Benjamin. And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah the second time, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel eighteen thousand men;
Then all the people of Israel came to Bethel and mourned. They sat before the Lord and did not eat until evening. They sacrificed animals for fellowship and burned sacrifices to the Lord. They inquired of the Lord. At that time the Ark of the Covenant of God was at Bethel. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron was in charge of it.
They asked, "Shall we go to war with our brothers who belong to the tribe of Benjamin or not?"
The Lord said, "Fight against them, for tomorrow I will send you against them."
So the Israelites hid some soldiers around Gibeah. And they set the battle in array in their place, and fought against Benjamin.
Then the men of the tribe of Benjamin came forth out of the city to fight against the city, until they were out of the city. As they had done before, they killed the army of Israel on the way to Bethel and Gibeah and elsewhere. They killed about 30 Israelites.And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us. .
But the Israelites said, "Let's turn back and take them away from the city."
Then the Israelite army withdrew and gathered themselves together at Baaltamar. But the people around the city rushed out of their hiding places in the rocky place around Gibeah. Ten thousand chosen men of Israel came to Gibeah, and the battle was fierce.
The members of the tribe of Benjamin did not know that their destruction was imminent.
The Lord handed Benjamin's army over to Israel. The Israelites killed 25,100 enemies that day.
So the tribe of Benjamin was defeated.