¹² So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.

¹⁷ Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. ¹⁸ If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.

² I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.

² But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers^[a] criticized him. ³ “You entered the home of Gentiles^[b] and even ate with them!” they said.

Israel’s War with Benjamin

20 Then all the Israelites were united as one man, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, including those from across the Jordan in the land of Gilead. The entire community assembled in the presence of the Lord at Mizpah. ² The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel—400,000 warriors armed with swords—took their positions in the assembly of the people of God. ³ (Word soon reached the land of Benjamin that the other tribes had gone up to Mizpah.) The Israelites then asked how this terrible crime had happened.

⁴ The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, “My concubine and I came to spend the night in Gibeah, a town that belongs to the people of Benjamin. ⁵ That night some of the leading citizens of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead. ⁶ So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the territory assigned to Israel, for these men have committed a terrible and shameful crime. ⁷ Now then, all of you—the entire community of Israel—must decide here and now what should be done about this!”

⁸ And all the people rose to their feet in unison and declared, “None of us will return home! No, not even one of us! ⁹ Instead, this is what we will do to Gibeah; we will draw lots to decide who will attack it. ¹⁰ One-tenth of the men^[a] from each tribe will be chosen to supply the warriors with food, and the rest of us will take revenge on Gibeah^[b] of Benjamin for this shameful thing they have done in Israel.” ¹¹ So all the Israelites were completely united, and they gathered together to attack the town.

The Allotments of the Remaining Land

18 Now that the land was under Israelite control, the entire community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle.^[a]

¹⁵ you must attack that town and completely destroy^[a] all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock.