¹² If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in ¹³ that troublemakers^(A) have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), ¹⁴ then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.^(B) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,^{(C) 15} you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,^[a](D) both its people and its livestock.^{(E) 16} You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town^(F) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.^(G) That town is to remain a ruin^(H) forever, never to be rebuilt, ¹⁷ and none of the condemned things^[b] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,^(I) will show you mercy,^(J) and will have compassion^(K) on you. He will increase your numbers,^(L) as he promised^(M) on oath to your ancestors— ¹⁸ because you obey the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right^(N) in his eyes.

¹² The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What about this awful crime that was committed among you?^(A)

¹³ Now turn those wicked men^(A) of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.^(B)”

But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites.