Old Testament · Judges

Judges 21

Wives for the Benjamites

1And the men^a of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, "No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife^b."

2And the people came to Bethel, and sat there until the evening before God, and lifted up their voice and wept a great weeping. 3And they said, "Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that one tribe should be missing today from Israel?"

4And it came to pass on the next day, that the people rose early and built there an altar, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5And the children of Israel said, "Who is there that did not come up in the assembly out of all the tribes of Israel to the LORD?" For the great oath had been made concerning the one who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, "He shall surely be put to death."

6And the children of Israel were sorry for Benjamin their brother, and said, "One tribe is cut off today from Israel. 7What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them of our daughters for wives?"

8And they said, "Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?" And behold, no man had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9And the people were numbered, and behold, there was no man there of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.

10And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the sons of valor, and commanded^c them, saying, "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 11And this is the thing that you shall do: every male, and every woman who has known the lying with a male, you shall utterly destroy."

12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women, virgins, who had not known a man by lying with a male; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them. 14And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead; but they did not find enough for them so.

15And the people were sorry for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

16And the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?" 17And they said, "A possession of those who escaped is for Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel. 18But we are not able to give them wives of our daughters; for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, 'Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.'"

19And they said, "Behold, there is a feast^d of the LORD in Shiloh from year to year, which is on the north of Bethel, toward the rising of the sun on the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah."

20And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21and you shall see, 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 seize, each man his wife, from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to contend with us, that we will say to them, 'Show us favor concerning them; because we did not take, each man his wife, in the battle; for you did not give to them at this time, that you should be guilty.'"

23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number, from those who danced, whom they carried off; and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 24And the children of Israel went about from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family; and they went out from there, each man to his inheritance.

25In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.