18 So they went to the place of worship at Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should be the first to attack the people of Benjamin?”“Judah,” the Lord answered.
19 The next morning the Israelite army moved its camp to a place near Gibeah.
20 Then they left their camp and got into position to attack the army of Benjamin.
21 Benjamin's soldiers came out of Gibeah and attacked, and when the day was over, 22,000 Israelite soldiers lay dead on the ground.
22-24 The people of Israel went to the place of worship and cried until sunset. Then they asked the Lord, “Should we attack the people of Benjamin again, even though they are our relatives?”“Yes,” the Lord replied, “attack them again!”The Israelite soldiers encouraged each other to be brave and to fight hard. Then the next day they went back to Gibeah and took up the same positions as they had before.
25 That same day, Benjamin's soldiers came out of Gibeah and attacked, leaving another 18,000 Israelite soldiers dead on the battlefield.
26-28 The people of Israel went to the place of worship at Bethel, where the sacred chest was being kept. They sat on the ground, crying and not eating for the rest of the day. Then about sunset, they offered sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask his blessing. Phinehas the priest then prayed, “Our Lord, the people of Benjamin are our relatives. Should we stop fighting or attack them again?”“Attack!” the Lord answered. “Tomorrow I will let you defeat them.”