Judges 21

Now a man of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, “A man from us shall not give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.”

And the people came {to} Bethel, and they sat there until the evening to the face of God. And they lifted their voice and wept a great weeping.

And they said, “Why, God, God of Israel, should this be in Israel, to be missing today one tribe from Israel?” \*

And it happened the next day that the people arose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

And the sons of Israel said, “Who {is it} who did not go up with the assembly from all of the tribes of Israel to God?” For a great oath had been regarding whoever did not go up to God {at} Mizpah, saying, “Dying, he shall be caused to die.” \*

And the sons of Israel repented themselves toward Benjamin, his brother. And they said, “Today one tribe has been hewn from Israel.

What shall we do for them, for the remaining ones, for a wife, since we ourselves have sworn to God not to give to them from our daughters for a wife?” \*

And they said, “Who {is} the one from the tribes of Israel who did not go up to God {at} Mizpah?” And behold, a man had not come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead for the assembly.

And the people counted themselves, and behold, a man {was} not there from the dwellers of Jabesh Gilead.

So the congregation sent 12,000 men there from the sons of the army and they commanded them, saying, “Go, and you shall strike the dwellers of Jabesh Gilead to the mouth of the sword, even the women and the children. \*

And this {is} the thing that you shall do: every male and every woman having known the lying of a male, you shall devote.”

And they found among the dwellers of Jabesh Gilead 400 young women, a virgin who had not known a man by the lying of a male, and they brought them to the camp {at} Shiloh, which was in the land of Canaan. \*

And all of the congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who {were} at the rock of Rimmon, and they called out peace to them.

So Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave to them the women who were alive from the women of Jabesh Gilead. But they did not find enough for them.

And the people repented itself for Benjamin, for God had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. \*

So the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for the remaining ones, since a woman has been destroyed from Benjamin?”

And they said, “A possession of the escapee of Benjamin, so a tribe will not be wiped out from Israel. \*

But we ourselves are not able to give wives to them from our daughters, because the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, ‘Cursed {is} the one giving a wife to Benjamin.’”

So they said, “Behold, a feast of God {is} at Shiloh from days to days.” (That {is} from the north to Bethel, from the rising of the sun to the road going up from Bethel {to} Shechem and from the south to Lebonah.) \*

So they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards.

And you shall look, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then you shall come out from the vineyards, and you shall catch for yourselves a man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and you shall go {to} the land of Benjamin. \*

And it will happen, when their fathers or their brothers come to contend with us, that we will say to them, ‘Grant us them, for we did not take, a man his wife, in the battle. For you have not given to them at {this} time, {that} you should be guilty.’” \*

And the sons of Benjamin did thus, and they carried away wives for their number from the ones dancing, whom they caught. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and they built the cities and dwelled in them.

Then the sons of Israel disbursed themselves from there at that time, a man to his tribe and to his clan, and they went away from there, a man to his inheritance. \*

In those days a king {was} not in Israel. A man did the right in his eyes.