Judges 21:1-24

1Now the men of Israel 1had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin 2in marriage.” 23So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and lifted up their voices and wept 4bitterly. 3They said, “Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel?” 4It came about the next day that the people arose early and built 5an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5Then the sons of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up in the assembly to the Lord?” For 6they had taken a great oath concerning him 7who did not come up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” 6And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel today. 7What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have 8sworn by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?”

8And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the Lord at Mizpah?” And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9For when the people were 9numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. 10And the congregation sent 12,000 of the valiant warriors there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and 10strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 11This is the thing that you shall do: you 11shall utterly destroy every man and every woman who has 12lain with a man.” 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with 13him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were 14at the rock of Rimmon, and 15proclaimed peace to them. 14Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead; yet they 16were not enough for them. 15And the people were sorry for Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?” 17They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. 18But we cannot give them wives of our daughters.” For the sons of Israel 17had sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”

19So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in 18Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.” 20And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 21and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to 1920take part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22It shall come about, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we shall say to them, ‘Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin 21a wife in battle, 2223nor did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’” 23The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they carried away. And they went and returned to their inheritance and 24rebuilt the cities and lived in them. 24The sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one of them went out from there to his inheritance.