The Battle of Gibeah occurred circa 1117 BC, when the Tribe of Benjamin's rape of a Levite woman resulted in the other Eleven Tribes of Israel joining forces against Benjamin and nearly destroying it at Gibeah.
In the days before the establishment of the United Kingdom of Israel, a Levite residing in the remote parts of the Tribe of Ephraim's hill country took a concubine from Bethlehem, only for the woman to leave him and return to Bethlehem due to his selfishness. The Levite retrieved her on the fifth day, making up with her, and they decided to rest in the Benjaminite town of Gibeah during their return home. The Benjaminites showed them no hospitality, but a fellow Ephraimite took them in and washed them, fed them, and gave them drinks. That night, the perverse men of the city surrounded the house and demanded that the old man bring out the Levite man to rape him; the old man offered his virgin daughter and the Levite's concubine instead, and, when the men would not be dissuaded, the Levite threw his concubine onto the street to be wantonly raped through the night until the morning. The woman collapsed and died at the Ephraimite's threshold the next morning, and the Levite, infuriated, cut her body into twelve pieces and sent her throughout all the territories of Israel and called on the other tribes to punish the wickedness of the Benjaminites.
From Dan to Beersheba, the other Israelites came out and assembled at Mizpah. 400,000 Israelite warriors formed an army, commanded by the chiefs of all the people, and the Levite explained the circumstances of his concubine's death and Benjamin's vile outrage. The Israelites vowed to go up against Gibeah by lot, sending men throughout the Tribe of Benjamin to demand that the locals hand over the rapists. When the Benjaminites refused and instead raised 26,000 men to defend Gibeah, the alliance marched on Gibeah. In the ensuing battle, the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and struck down 22,000 of the Israelites, but God was said to have encouraged the Israelites to continue their attack, and they reformed their battle lines the next day. The Israelites lost 18,000 more men on the second day, retreating to Bethel and weeping, and fasting until evening. God promised to deliver the Benjaminites on the third day of battle, and the Israelites set up an ambush around Gibeah. The Benjamites were drawn away from the city before being ambushed in the open country; the Benjaminites killed 30 Israelites before the Israelites launched their ambush. 10,000 picked Israelite warriors overwhelmed the Benjaminites, slaying 25,100 of them. The Israelites put the whole city of Gibeah to the sword, and 600 Benjaminites fled toward the rock of Rimmon, where they remained for four months. The remaining Benjamite towns were set on fire, nearly annihilating the tribe. The Israelite tribes initially forbade their daughters from intermarrying with the Benjaminites, and they offered burnt offerings to God at Mizpah. When nobody from Jabesh-gilead came to the camp to join the ceremony, the Israelites sent 12,000 soldiers to put the men, women, and children of Jabesh-gilead to the sword, except for the virgin women. The 400 young virgins of Jabesh-gilead were brought to Shiloh, where the Israelites offered them as wives to the Benjaminites at the Rock of Rimmon as a peace offering. The Benjaminites were unimpressed, but they made up for their rejection of the virgins by kidnapping dancing women from Shiloh on the holiday of Tu B'Av, and they repopulated their tribe with these women, rebuilt their towns, and became one with the other Tribes of Israel.