Judges 21
1 Now the men of Israel had made a promise at Mizpah, “None of us will give his daughter to marry a Benjamite.”
And the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, “None of us gives his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.”
2 Then the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, and with loud voices they wept bitterly.
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,
3 They called out, “Why, Yahweh, God of Israel, has this happened to Israel, that one of our tribes should be missing today?”
and say, “Why, O YHWH, God of Israel, has this been in Israel—to be lacking one tribe from Israel today?”
4 The next day the people got up early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
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.
5 The people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to Yahweh?” For they had made an important promise concerning anyone who did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah. They said, “He would certainly be put to death.”
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.”
6 The people of Israel had compassion for their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
And the sons of Israel sigh concerning their brother Benjamin, and say, “Today there has been one tribe cut off from Israel,
7 Who will provide wives for those who are left, since we have made a promise to Yahweh that we will not let any of them marry our daughters?”
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?”
8 They said, “Which of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?” It was found that no one had come to the assembly from Jabesh Gilead.
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.
9 For when the people were set out in an orderly manner, behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there.
And the people numbered themselves, and behold, there is no man from the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.
10 The assembly sent twelve thousand of their bravest men with instructions to go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children.
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.
11 “Do this: You must kill every male and every woman who has slept with a man.”
And this [is] the thing which you do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, you devote.”
12 The men found among those living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh, in Canaan.
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.
13 The entire assembly sent a message and told the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon that they were offering them peace.
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;
14 The Benjamites returned at that time and they were given the women of Jabesh Gilead, but there were not enough women for all of them.
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.
15 The people were sorry for what happened to Benjamin, because Yahweh made a division between the tribes of Israel.
And the people sighed concerning Benjamin, for YHWH had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.
16 Then the leaders of the assembly said, “How will we arrange wives for the Benjamites who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been killed?”
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?”
17 They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe is not destroyed from Israel.
And they say, “A possession of an escaped party [is] to Benjamin, and a tribe is not blotted out from Israel;
18 We cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the people of Israel had made a promise, 'Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.'”
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.”
19 So they said, “You know there is a feast for Yahweh every year at Shiloh (which is north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah).”
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.”
20 They instructed the men of Benjamin, saying, “Go and hide in secret and wait in the vineyards.
And they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go—and you have laid wait in the vineyards,
21 Watch for the time when the girls from Shiloh come out to dance, then rush out of the vineyards and each one of you should grab a wife from the girls of Shiloh, then go back to the land of Benjamin.
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;
22 When their fathers or their brothers come to protest to us, we will say to them, 'Show us favor! Let them remain because we did not get wives for each man during the war. You are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.'”
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.”
23 The people of Benjamin did so. They took the number of wives that they needed from the girls who were dancing and they carried them off to be their wives. They went and returned to the place of their inheritance. They rebuilt the towns and lived in them.
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.
24 Then the people of Israel left that place and went home, each one to his own tribe and clan, and each one to his own inheritance.
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.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
In those days there is no king in Israel; each does that which is right in his own eyes.
