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.”
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”
2 Then the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, and with loud voices they wept bitterly.
The people came to Bethel and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.
3 They called out, “Why, Yahweh, God of Israel, has this happened to Israel, that one of our tribes should be missing today?”
They said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?”
4 The next day the people got up early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
On the next day, the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
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.”
The children of Israel said, “Who is there amongst all the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who didn’t come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be 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.
The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.
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?”
How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to 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.
They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to the LORD to Mizpah?” Behold, no one came from Jabesh Gilead to the camp 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.
For when the people were counted, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.
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.
The congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.
11 “Do this: You must kill every male and every woman who has slept with a man.”
This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”
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.
They found amongst 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 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.
The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed 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.
Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.
15 The people were sorry for what happened to Benjamin, because Yahweh made a division between the tribes of Israel.
The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in 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?”
Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are 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.
They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be 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.'”
However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives 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).”
They said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD 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 They instructed the men of Benjamin, saying, “Go and hide in secret and wait in the vineyards.
They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in 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 see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go 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.'”
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 didn’t take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them; otherwise you would now be 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.
The children of Benjamin did so, and took wives for themselves according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived 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.
The children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they each went out from there to his own inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.
