Judges 21
1 And the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, “None of us gives his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.”
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin to wife.
2 And the people come to Beth-El, and sit there until the evening before God, and lift up their voice, and weep [with] a great weeping,
And the people came to Bethel, and sat there till evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept bitterly.
3 and say, “Why, O YHWH, God of Israel, has this been in Israel—to be lacking one tribe from Israel today?”
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?
4 And it comes to pass on the next day, that the people rise early, and build an altar there, and cause burnt-offerings and peace-offerings to ascend.
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.
5 And the sons of Israel say, “Who [is] he that has not come up in the assembly to YHWH out of all the tribes of Israel?” For the great oath has been concerning him who has not come up to YHWH to Mizpeh, saying, “He is surely put to death.”
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.
6 And the sons of Israel sigh concerning their brother Benjamin, and say, “Today there has been one tribe cut off from Israel,
And the sons of Israel regretted for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7 what do we do for them—for those who are left—for wives, since we have sworn by YHWH not to give to them from our daughters for wives?”
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?
8 And they say, “Who is [that] one out of the tribes of Israel who has not come up to YHWH to Mizpeh?” And behold, none has come to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead—to the assembly.
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.
9 And the people numbered themselves, and behold, there is no man from the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.
For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
10 And the congregation sends twelve thousand men of the sons of valor there, and commands them, saying, “Go—and you have struck the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead by the mouth of the sword, even the women and the infants.
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.
11 And this [is] the thing which you do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, you devote.”
And this is the thing that ye shall do: Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that has lain by man.
12 And they find four hundred young women, virgins, out of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, who have not known man by the lying of a male, and they bring them to the camp at Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan.
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.
13 And all the congregation sends [word] and speaks to the sons of Benjamin who [are] in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaims peace to them;
And the whole congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
14 and Benjamin turns 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.
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.
15 And the people sighed concerning Benjamin, for YHWH had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.
And the people regretted for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 And [the] elderly of the congregation say, “What do we do to the remnant for wives—for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?”
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?
17 And they say, “A possession of an escaped party [is] to Benjamin, and a tribe is not blotted out from Israel;
And they said, There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel.
18 and we are not able to give wives to them out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [is] he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.”
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.
19 And they say, “Behold, a festival of YHWH [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.”
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.
20 And they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go—and you have laid wait in the vineyards,
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
21 and have seen, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances—then you have gone out from the vineyards, and each caught his wife out of the daughters of Shiloh for yourselves, and have gone to the land of Benjamin;
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.
22 and it has been, when their fathers or their brothers come in to plead to us, that we have said to them, Favor us [by] them, for we have not each taken his wife in battle, for you have not given [wives] to them at this time, [so] you are [not] guilty.”
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.
23 And the sons of Benjamin do so, and take women according to their number, out of the dancers whom they have seized; and they go, and return to their inheritance, and build the cities, and dwell in them.
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.
24 And the sons of Israel go up and down there at that time, each to his tribe, and to his family; and they each go out there to his inheritance.
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.
25 In those days there is no king in Israel; each does that which is right in his own eyes.
In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
