1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not
any of us give his daughter to Benjamin as wife. 2 The people came to
Bethel, and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices,
and wept sore. 3 They said, Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this
happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?
4 It happened on the next day that the people rose early, and built there
an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings. 5 The children
of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who didn’t come
up in the assembly to Yahweh? For they had made a great oath concerning him
who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to
death. 6 The children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother,
and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 How shall we
do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by Yahweh that we
will not give them of our daughters to wives? 8 They said, What one is
there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah? Behold,
there came none to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly. 9 For when
the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of
Jabesh Gilead there. 10 The congregation sent there twelve thousand men of
the most valiant, 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 This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly
destroy every male, and every woman who has lain by man. 12 They found
among 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 whole congregation sent and spoke
to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed
peace to them. 14 Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the
women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead: and yet so
they weren’t enough for them. 15 The people repented them for Benjamin,
because that Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 16 Then the
elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for those who
remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? 17 They said,
There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a
tribe not be blotted out from Israel. 18 However we may not give them
wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed
be he who gives a wife to Benjamin. 19 They said, Behold, there is a feast
of Yahweh 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 commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go
and lie in wait in the vineyards, 21 and see, and, behold, if the
daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come you out
of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of
Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 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, else would you now be
guilty. 23 The children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according
to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off: and they went
and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and lived in them.
24 The children of Israel departed there at that time, every man to his
tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his
inheritance. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did
that which was right in his own eyes.
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