Judges 21:16-25

16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What are we to do for wives for those who are left, since the women have been eliminated from Benjamin?” 17And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be wiped out from Israel. 18But we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the sons of Israel 1had 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 2Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the road 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 34take part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards, and each of you shall seize his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we shall say to them, ‘5Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin 6a wife in battle, 78nor did you give them to them, 9otherwise you would now be guilty.’” 23The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they seized. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and 10rebuilt the cities and lived in them. 24And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one departed from there to his inheritance.

2511In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.