11. So all the Israelites joined together and were united as one against the city.
12. The Israelite tribes sent men throughout the whole tribe of Benjamin with this message: "What about this evil act that happened among you?
13. Now hand over those perverse men in Gibeah so that we can execute them and remove the evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites refused to comply with the demand of their own relatives the Israelites.
14. Instead, the Benjaminites from all the cities came together at Gibeah to march out for battle against the Israelites.
15. On that day, the Benjaminites called up from their cities twenty-six thousand men armed with swords, not counting those living in Gibeah.
16. Out of this entire army, seven hundred specially chosen men were left-handed, and every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17. Not counting Benjamin, the Israelites called up four hundred thousand men armed with swords, and every one of them was a trained warrior.
18. Then the Israelites marched up to Bethel to ask for direction from God. They inquired, "Who should go up first to fight against the Benjaminites for us?"And the Lord said, "Let the tribe of Judah be first."
19. So the next morning, the Israelites got up and camped near Gibeah.