Judges 21

¹ The men of Israel had sworn this oath at Mizpah, ‘Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin’.

² The people went to Bethel and stayed there until evening, sitting before God with groans and bitter weeping.

³ They said, ‘Yahweh, God of Israel, why must this be Israel’s lot, to lose one of its tribes today?’

⁴ The next day the people got up early and built an altar there; they offered holocausts and communion sacrifices.

⁵ Then the Israelites said, ‘Which of all the tribes of Israel has not come to the assembly in Yahweh’s presence?’ For they had sworn a solemn oath threatening death to anyone who would not come into Yahweh’s presence at Mizpah.

⁶ Now the Israelites were sorry for Benjamin their brother; ‘Today,’ they said ‘one tribe has been cut off from Israel.

⁷ What shall we do to find wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by Yahweh not to give them any of our own daughters in marriage?’

⁸ Then they asked the question, ‘Which of the tribes of Israel has not come intoYahweh’s presence at Mizpah?’ It was discovered that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly;

⁹ for the people had been counted over, and not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.

¹⁰ Then the community sent twelve thousand of their bravest men there, with these orders: ‘Go and slaughter all the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, the women and children too.

¹¹ This is what you must do. You are to put all the males and all women who have slept with a male under the ban, but you are to spare the maidens.’ They obeyed the orders.

¹² Among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a man, and brought them to the camp (at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan).

¹³ Then the whole community sent messengers to offer peace to the Benjaminites who were at the Rock of Rimmon.

¹⁴ Benjamin returned, and they were given those women from Jabesh-gilead who had been left alive; but there were not cnough for all.

¹⁵ The people were sorry for Benjamin because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶ And the elders of the community said, ‘What shall we do to find wives for the survivors, since the women of Benjamin have been wiped out?’

¹⁷ They went on, ‘How can we preserve a remnant for Benjamin so that a tribe may not be blotted out from Israel?

¹⁸ We ourselves cannot give them our own daughters in marriage.’ For the Israelites had sworn this oath, ‘Cursed be any man who gives a wife to Benjamin!’

¹⁹ ‘But yet’ they said ‘there is Yahweh’s feast which is held every year at Shiloh.’ (this town lies north of Bethel, east of the highway that runs from Bethel up to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.)

²⁰ So they gave this advice to the Benjaminites, ‘Place yourselves in ambush in the vineyards.

²¹ Keep watch there, and when the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in groups together, you too come out of the vineyards: seize a wife, each one of you, from the daughters of Shiloh and make for the land of Benjamin.

²² If their fathers or brothers come to complain to you, we shall say to them, “Forgive them because each one of them has taken a wife for himself, as men do in war. For if you had given them brides, you would have broken your oath, and so would have sinned.”‘

²³ The Benjaminites did this, and from the dancers they had captured, they chose as many wives as there were men; then they set off, returned to their inheritance, rebuilt their towns and settled in them.

²⁴ Then the Israelites went away, each to rejoin his own tribe and clan, and returned from Shiloh each to his own inheritance.

²⁵ In those days there was no king in Israel, and every man did as he pleased.