Judges 21
1 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.
Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
2 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.
So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly.
3 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.
“Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”
4 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.
The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5 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.
The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.
6 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.
And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel.
7 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.
What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”
8 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.
So they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?” And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.
9 And it was mustered the people and there! there not there [was] anyone from [the] inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead.
For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there.
10 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].
So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children.
11 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.
This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.”
12 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.
So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13 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.
Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon.
14 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.
And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.
15 And the people it had compassion to Benjamin for he had made Yahweh a breach in [the] tribes of Israel.
The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
16 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.
Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
17 And they said a possession of [the] escaped remnant [belongs] to Benjamin and not it will be wiped out a tribe from Israel.
They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
18 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.
But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”
19 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.
“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
20 (And they commanded *Q(K)*) [the] descendants of Benjamin saying go and you will lie in wait in the vineyards.
So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards
21 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.
and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22 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.
When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’”
23 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.
The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them.
24 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.
And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance.
25 In the days those there not [was] a king in Israel each man the right in own eyes his he will do.
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
