Then all the people of Israel went up to Bethel and mourned. They sat there in the LORD's presence and did not eat until evening. They offered fellowship sacrifices and burned some sacrifices whole---all in the presence of the LORD.

God's Covenant Box was there at Bethel in those days, and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was in charge of it. The people asked the LORD, "Should we go out to fight our brothers the Benjaminites again, or should we give up?" The LORD answered, "Fight. Tomorrow I will give you victory over them."

Whenever he killed some of them, the rest would turn to him; they would repent and pray earnestly to him.

But their words were all lies; nothing they said was sincere.

"I will abandon my people until they have suffered enough for their sins and come looking for me. Perhaps in their suffering they will try to find me."