Judges 21
1 Now the men of Israel had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, Not one of us will give his daughter as a wife to Benjamin.
And [the] man of Israel he had sworn at Mizpah saying anyone of us not he will give daughter his to Benjamin to a wife.
2 And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
And it came the people Beth-el and they sat there until the evening before God and they lifted up voice their and they wept weeping great.
3 And they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this fate come on Israel, that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel?
And they said why? O Yahweh [the] God of Israel has it happened (this [thing] *LA(bh)*) in Israel to be missing this day from Israel a tribe one.
4 Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
And it was from [the] next day and they rose early the people and they built there an altar and they offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel, who did not come up to the Lord at the meeting of all Israel? For they had taken a great oath that whoever did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord was to be put to death.
And they said [the] people of Israel who? [is [the] one] who not he went up in the assembly from all [the] tribes of Israel to Yahweh for the oath great it was to [the one] who not he went up to Yahweh Mizpah saying certainly he will be put to death.
6 And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
And they had compassion [the] people of Israel to Benjamin brother its and they said it has been cut off this day a tribe one from Israel.
7 What are we to do about wives for those who are still living? For we have taken an oath by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters for wives.
What? will we do for them for [those who] remain for wives and we we have sworn by Yahweh to not to give to them any of daughters our to wives.
8 And they said, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And it was seen that no one had come from Jabesh-gilead to the meeting.
And they said who? [is the] one from [the] tribes of Israel which not it went up to Yahweh Mizpah and there! not he had come anyone to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.
9 For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
And it was mustered the people and there! there not there [was] anyone from [the] inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead.
10 So they (the meeting) sent twelve thousand of the best fighting-men, and gave them orders, saying, Go and put the people of Jabesh-gilead to the sword without mercy, with their women and their little ones.
And they sent there the congregation two [plus] ten thousand man from [the] sons of strength and they commanded them saying go and you will strike [the] inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead to [the] mouth of [the] sword and the women and the little one[s].
11 And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so.
And this [is] the thing which you will do every male and every woman [who] has known lying of a male you will totally destroy.
12 Now there were among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never had sex relations with a man; these they took to their tents in Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
And they found of [the] inhabitants of - Jabesh Gilead four hundred young woman virgin[s] who not she had known a man to lying of a male and they brought them to the camp Shiloh which [is] in [the] land of Canaan.
13 And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
And they sent all the congregation and they spoke to [the] descendants of Benjamin who [were] at [the] rock of Rimmon and they proclaimed to them peace.
14 Then Benjamin came back; and they gave them the women whom they had kept from death among the women of Jabesh-gilead: but still there were not enough for them.
And it returned Benjamin at the time that and they gave to them the women whom they had preserved alive from [the] women of Jabesh Gilead and not they found for them so.
15 And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
And the people it had compassion to Benjamin for he had made Yahweh a breach in [the] tribes of Israel.
16 Then the responsible men of the meeting said, What are we to do about wives for the rest of them, seeing that the women of Benjamin are dead?
And they said [the] elders of the congregation what? will we do for [those who] remain for wives for she is destroyed from Benjamin woman.
17 And they said, How is the rest of Benjamin to be given offspring so that one tribe of Israel may not be put out of existence,
And they said a possession of [the] escaped remnant [belongs] to Benjamin and not it will be wiped out a tribe from Israel.
18 Seeing that we may not give them our daughters as wives? For the children of Israel had taken an oath, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
And we not we are able to give to them wives any of daughters our for they had sworn [the] people of Israel saying [be] cursed [one who] gives a wife to Benjamin.
19 And they said, See, every year there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is to the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway which goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
And they said here! [the] festival of Yahweh [is] in Shiloh from days - days towards which [is] from north-ward of Beth-el [the] rising of towards the sun of [the] highway which goes up from Beth-el Shechem towards and from [the] south to Lebonah.
20 And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
(And they commanded *Q(K)*) [the] descendants of Benjamin saying go and you will lie in wait in the vineyards.
21 And watching; and if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then come from the vine-gardens and take a wife for every one of you from among the daughters of Shiloh, and go back to the land of Benjamin.
And you will see and there! if they will come out [the] daughters of Shiloh to dance in dances and you will go out from the vineyards and you will seize for yourselves each man wife his from [the] daughters of Shiloh and you will go [the] land of Benjamin.
22 And when their fathers or their brothers come and make trouble, you are to say to them, Give them to us as an act of grace; for we did not take them as wives for ourselves in war; and if you yourselves had given them to us you would have been responsible for the broken oath.
And it will be that they will come fathers their or brothers their (to make a complaint *Q(k)*) to us and we will say to them show favor for to us them for not we took each man wife his in the battle for not you you gave [them] to them about this time you will be guilty.
23 So the men of Benjamin did this, and got wives for themselves for every one of their number, taking them away by force from the dance; then they went back to their heritage, building up their towns and living in them.
And they did thus [the] descendants of Benjamin and they carried off wives to number their from the dancers whom they seized and they went and they returned to inheritance their and they rebuilt the cities and they dwelt in them.
24 Then the children of Israel went away from there, every man to his tribe and his family, every man went back to his heritage.
And they dispersed from there [the] people of Israel at the time that each man to tribe his and to clan his and they went out from there each man to inheritance his.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.
In the days those there not [was] a king in Israel each man the right in own eyes his he will do.
