Benjamin

These were the descendants of Binyamin, by their families; of them were counted 45,600.

from the tribe of Binyamin, Elidad the son of Kislon;

"These are the ones who are to stand on Mount G'rizim and bless the people after you have crossed the Yarden: Shim'on, Levi, Y'hudah, Yissakhar, Yosef and Binyamin;

Of Binyamin he said: "ADONAI's beloved lives securely. He protects him day after day. He lives between his shoulders."

The lot for the tribe of the descendants of Binyamin came up according to their families. The border of their territory chosen by lot was between the descendants of Y'hudah and the descendants of Yosef.

The Yarden was to be its border on the east side. This was the inheritance of the descendants of Binyamin, defined by its surrounding borders, according to their families.

The cities of the tribe of the descendants of Binyamin according to their families were: Yericho, Beit-Hoglah, 'Emek-K'tzitz,

Tzela, Elef, Y'vusi (that is, Yerushalayim), Giv'at and Kiryat - fourteen cities, together with their villages. This is the inheritance of the descendants of Binyamin according to their families.

The lot came out for the families of the K'hati. The descendants of Aharon the cohen, who were of the L'vi'im, received by lot thirteen cities from the tribes of Y'hudah, Shim'on and Binyamin.

Out of the tribe of Binyamin: Giv'on with its surrounding open land, Geva with its surrounding open land,

The people of Binyamin did not drive out the Y'vusi who inhabited Yerushalayim; rather, the Y'vusi continued living with the people of Binyamin in Yerushalayim, as they do to this day.

From Efrayim came those rooted in 'Amalek. Behind you, Binyamin is with your peoples. From Makhir the commanders marched down, and from Z'vulun those holding the musterer's staff.

The people of 'Amon also crossed the Yarden to fight Y'hudah, Binyamin and the house of Efrayim; so that Isra'el was greatly distressed.

So they went on and kept traveling, until the sun set on them near Giv'ah, which belongs to Binyamin.

Now the people of Binyamin heard that the people of Isra'el had gone up to Mitzpah. The people of Isra'el said, "Tell us, how was this crime committed?"

The Levi, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, "I came to Giv'ah, which belongs to Binyamin, I and my concubine, to stay the night;

we'll take ten men out of each hundred throughout all the tribes of Isra'el, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand to collect food for the others. When these come to Giv'ah in Binyamin, they will avenge the crime that was committed."

The tribes of Isra'el sent men throughout all the tribe of Binyamin with this message: "What is this crime committed by some of your people?

Turn over these good-for-nothings who are in Giv'ah at once, so that we can execute them and rid Isra'el of such evil." But the people of Binyamin refused to obey the order of their kinsmen the people of Isra'el.

Instead the people of Binyamin gathered themselves together from their cities and went to Giv'ah to fight the people of Isra'el.

On that day there were 26,000 men from Binyamin armed with swords, besides the inhabitants of Giv'ah, who numbered 700 specially chosen men.

The army of Isra'el, apart from Binyamin, numbered 400,000 men with swords; they were all experienced soldiers.

The army of Isra'el began by going up to Beit-El, where they asked God, "Who should go up first to attack the army of Binyamin?" ADONAI said, "Y'hudah first."

Then the army of Isra'el went out to attack Binyamin and set up their battle line in front of Giv'ah.

But the army of Binyamin came out of Giv'ah and slaughtered the army of Isra'el; on that day 22,000 men fell.