Those with their roots in Amalek came from Ephraim;
Benjamin came with your people after you.
The leaders came down from Machir,
and those who carry a marshal’s staff came from Zebulun.

The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. Israel was greatly oppressed,

So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.

The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I went to Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night.

We will take 10 men out of every 100 from all the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of every 1,000, and 1,000 out of every 10,000 to get provisions for the people when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for all the horror they did in Israel.”

Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this outrage that has occurred among you?

The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, rallied 400,000 armed men, every one an experienced warrior.

The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took their battle positions against Gibeah.

The Lord defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 men of Benjamin; all were armed men.

Then the Benjaminites realized they had been defeated.

The men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin, because they were confident in the ambush they had set against Gibeah.

the men of Israel would return to the battle. When Benjamin had begun to strike them down, killing about 30 men of Israel, they said, “They’re defeated before us, just as they were in the first battle.”

But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, Benjamin looked behind them, and the whole city was going up in smoke.

Then the men of Israel returned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had struck them.

There were 18,000 men who died from Benjamin; all were warriors.

Then Benjamin turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel killed 5,000 men on the highways. They overtook them at Gidom and struck 2,000 more dead.

Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them.

The people had compassion on Benjamin, because the Lord had made this gap in the tribes of Israel.

The elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”

They said, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.

Watch, and when you see the young women of Shiloh come out to perform the dances, each of you leave the vineyards and catch a wife for yourself from the young women of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.