The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day.

So the Israelites marched toward the Benjaminites the next day.

So they commanded the Benjaminites, “Go hide in the vineyards,

The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah to make war against the Israelites.

When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep.

They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, and annihilated them all the way to a spot east of Geba.

The Israelites regretted what had happened to their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today we cut off an entire tribe from Israel!

The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said, “Explain how this wicked thing happened!”

The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “How could such a wicked thing take place?

The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they arranged their battle lines against Gibeah.

The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand Israelites that day.

The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before.

Then the Benjaminites said, “They are defeated just as before.” But the Israelites said, “Let’s retreat and lure them away from the city into the main roads.”

Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated. The Israelites retreated before Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah.

But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky.

The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed.

The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around.

We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel.”

Now, hand over the good-for-nothings in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.” But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers.

That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah.