21:1 The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
21:2 The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly.
21:3 “O LORD, the God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?”
21:4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
21:5 Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah should certainly be put to death.
21:6 Now the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said.
21:7 “How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the LORD not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?”
21:8 Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.
21:9 For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.
21:10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children.
21:11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin.”
21:12 They found among the people 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.
21:13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.
21:14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.
21:15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a gap in the tribes of Israel.
21:16 And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left?
21:17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
21:18 We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.’
21:19 But look, there is the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh, to the north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of Lebonah.”
21:20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards
21:21 and watch. When the girls of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, then rush from the vineyards and each of you seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin.
21:22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us a kindness by helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war, and you are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.’”
21:23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the girls were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.
21:24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.
21:25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
21:1 Now the men of Israel swore in Mizpah, saying, None of us shall give his daughter to a Benjaminite as a wife.
21:2 And the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and they lifted up their voice and wept greatly.
21:3 And they said, Why, O Jehovah God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that there is one tribe missing in Israel today?
21:4 And in the morning the people rose early and built an altar there, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
21:5 And the children of Israel said, Who did not come up into the congregation to Jehovah from all the tribes of Israel? For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who did not come up to Jehovah at Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
21:6 And the children of Israel were grieved concerning Benjamin their brother, and they said, Today a tribe has been cut down from Israel.
21:7 What shall we do about wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Jehovah not to give them any of our daughters as wives?
21:8 And they said, Is there anyone from the tribes of Israel who did not come to Jehovah at Mizpah? Now there was no one from Jabesh-gilead who had come to the congregation at the camp.
21:9 For when the people were numbered, there was no one from among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
21:10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand of the valiant there and commanded them, saying, Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, including women and children.
21:11 And this is the thing that you shall do: Every male and every woman who has lain with a male you shall utterly destroy.
21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, who had not known men by lying with a male; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which was in the land of Canaan.
21:13 And the whole assembly sent men and spoke to the children of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon; and they proclaimed peace to them.
21:14 And the Benjaminites returned at that time. And they gave them the women who had been kept alive from among the women of Jabesh-gilead; but there were not enough for them.
21:15 And the people were grieved concerning Benjamin, for Jehovah had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.
21:16 So the elders of the assembly said, What shall we do about wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed from Benjamin?
21:17 And they said, There should be some possession for those of Benjamin who have escaped, that no tribe would be blotted out of Israel.
21:18 But we cannot give them any of our daughters as wives. For the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
21:19 And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah each year in Shiloh (which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah).
21:20 And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21:21 And immediately when you see the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the dances, come out of the vineyards, and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh; then go into the land of Benjamin.
21:22 And when their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, Give them to us as a gift, for we did not take a wife in battle for each man, nor did you give them to them and thereby incur guilt for yourselves now.
21:23 And the children of Benjamin did so and took wives, whom they carried off, according to their number from those who danced. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.
21:24 And the children of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family; and they went forth from there, each man to his inheritance.
21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.