1. So all the Israelites joined together. They all came together to stand before the Lord in the city of Mizpah. People came from everywhere in Israel. Even the Israelites from Gilead were there.
2. The leaders of all the tribes of Israel were there. They took their places in the public meeting of God’s people. There were 400,000 soldiers with swords in that place.
3. The people from the tribe of Benjamin heard that the Israelites were meeting together in Mizpah. The Israelites said, “Tell us how this terrible thing happened.”
4. So the Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, told them the story. He said, “My slave woman and I came to the city of Gibeah in the area of Benjamin. We spent the night there.
5. But during the night the men of the city of Gibeah came to the house where I was staying. They surrounded the house, and they wanted to kill me. They raped my slave woman, and she died.
6. So I took her and cut her into pieces. Then I sent one piece to each of the tribes of Israel. I sent the 12 pieces to the lands we have received. I did that because the people of Benjamin have done this terrible thing in Israel.
7. Now, all you men of Israel, speak up. Give your decision about what we should do.”
8. Then all the people stood up at the same time. They said together, “None of us will go home. No, not one of us will go back to his house.