Judges 21

1The men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, "No man among us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife."

2The people came to Bethel and remained there until evening before God, raised their voices, and wept greatly.

3They said, "Yahweh, God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that one tribe should be missing today from Israel?"

4Early the next day the people rose, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5The sons of Israel said, "Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to Yahweh?" For a great oath had existed concerning whoever did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah, saying, "He shall surely die."

6The sons of Israel grieved over Benjamin their brother and said, "One tribe has been cut off from Israel today."

7How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Yahweh not to give them any of our daughters as wives?

8They said, "Which one of Israel's tribes did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?" And see, no man from Jabesh-gilead came to the camp to the assembly.

9The people were mustered, and behold, no man from the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there.

10The congregation sent twelve thousand men from the army there and commanded them, "Go and put the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead to the sword, with the women and the little ones."

11This is what you shall do: utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man's bed.

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

13The whole congregation sent messengers to speak to the sons of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them.

14At that time Benjamin returned, and they gave them the women they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh Gilead, yet even so they were not enough for them.

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

16The elders of the assembly said, "What shall we do for wives for those left over, since women have been destroyed from Benjamin?"

17They said, "An inheritance belongs to Benjamin's remnant, lest a tribe be blotted out from Israel."

18Yet we ourselves cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, "Cursed is anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin."

19They said, "See, a feast of Yahweh happens in Shiloh year by year, which lies north of Bethel, east of the sun along the highway ascending from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."

20They charged the sons of Benjamin, "Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards."

21Look and see: if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out from the vineyards and each man seize a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

22When their fathers or brothers come to complain against us, we will say to them, “Show us favor regarding them, for we did not take a wife for any man in the war, nor did you give any to them just now, or you would be guilty.”

23The Benjaminites did this and took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they had seized. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and settled in them.

24The Israelites went from there at that time, each to his tribe and family, and they set out from there, each to his inheritance.

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