Judges 21
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin to wife.
And the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, 'None of us doth give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.'
2 And the people came to Bethel, and sat there till evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept bitterly.
And the people come in to Beth-El, and sit there till the evening before God, and lift up their voice, and weep — a great weeping,
3 And they said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?
and say, 'Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, hath this been in Israel — to be lacking to-day, from Israel, one tribe?'
4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
And it cometh to pass on the morrow, that the people rise early, and build there an altar, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.
5 And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up in the assembly to Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
And the sons of Israel say, 'Who [is] he that hath not come up in the assembly out of all the tribes of Israel unto Jehovah?' for the great oath hath been concerning him who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh, saying, 'He is surely put to death.'
6 And the sons of Israel regretted for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
And the sons of Israel repent concerning Benjamin their brother, and say, 'There hath been to-day cut off one tribe from Israel,
7 What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
what do we do for them — for those who are left — for wives, and we — we have sworn by Jehovah not to give to them of our daughters for wives?'
8 And they said, Which one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
And they say, 'Who is [that] one out of the tribes of Israel who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh?' and lo, none hath come in unto the camp from Jabesh-Gilead — unto the assembly.
9 For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
And the people numbered themselves, and lo, there is not there a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.
10 And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.
And the company send there twelve thousand men of the sons of valour, and command them, saying, 'Go — and ye have smitten the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead by the mouth of the sword, even the women and the infants.
11 And this is the thing that ye shall do: Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that has lain by man.
And this [is] the thing which ye do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, ye devote.'
12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
And they find out of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women, virgins, who have not known man by the lying of a male, and they bring them in unto the camp at Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan.
13 And the whole congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
And all the company send, and speak, unto the sons of Benjamin who [are] in the rock Rimmon, and proclaim to them peace;
14 And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead. And even so they were not sufficient for them.
and Benjamin turneth back at that time, and they give to them the women whom they have kept alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead, and they have not found for [all of] them so.
15 And the people regretted for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
And the people repented concerning Benjamin, for Jehovah had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.
16 Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
And the elders of the company say, 'What do we do to the remnant for wives — for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?'
17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel.
And they say, 'A possession of an escaped party [is] to Benjamin, and a tribe is not blotted out from Israel;
18 However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
and we — we are not able to give to them wives out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [is] he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.'
19 And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
And they say, 'Lo, a festival of Jehovah [is] in Shiloh, from time to time, which [is] on the north of Beth-El, at the rising of the sun, by the highway which is going up from Beth-El to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.'
20 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
And they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, 'Go — and ye have laid wait in the vineyards,
21 and watch. And, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch for you every man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
and have seen, and lo, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances — then ye have gone out from the vineyards, and caught for you each his wife out of the daughters of Shiloh, and gone to the land of Benjamin;
22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, Grant them graciously to us, because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did ye give them to them, else ye would now be guilty.
and it hath been, when their fathers or their brethren come in to plead unto us, that we have said unto them, Favour us [by] them, for we have not taken [to] each his wife in battle, for ye — ye have not given to them at this time [that] ye are guilty.'
23 And the sons of Benjamin did so, and took for them wives, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.
And the sons of Benjamin do so, and take women according to their number, out of the dancers whom they have taken violently away; and they go, and turn back unto their inheritance, and build the cities, and dwell in them.
24 And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.
And the sons of Israel go up and down thence at that time, each to his tribe, and to his family; and they go out thence each to his inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
In those days there is no king in Israel; each doth that which is right in his own eyes.
