21
1 Now
the men of
Israel had sworn
in Mizpah, saying, “None
of us will
give his daughter
to Benjamin as
a wife.”
2 The
people came to
Bethel and sat
there until
evening before God,
and lifted up
their voices, and
wept severely.
3 They said, “The
LORD, the God
of Israel, why
has this happened
in Israel, that
there should be
one tribe lacking
in Israel today?”
4 On
the next day,
the people rose
early and built
an altar there,
and offered burnt
offerings and
peace offerings.
5 The
children of
Israel said, “Who
is there among
all the tribes
of Israel
who didn’t come up
in the assembly
to the LORD?”
For they had
made a great
oath concerning
him who didn’t
come up to
the LORD to
Mizpah, saying, “He
shall surely be
put to death.”
6 The
children of
Israel grieved for
Benjamin their brother,
and said, “There
is one tribe
cut off from
Israel today.
7 How
shall we
provide wives for
those who remain,
since we have
sworn by the
LORD that we
will not give
them of our
daughters to wives?”
8 They said, “What
one is there
of the tribes
of Israel
who didn’t come up
to the LORD
to Mizpah?” Behold,
no one came
from Jabesh Gilead
to the camp
to the assembly.
9 For
when the people
were counted,
behold, there
were none of the
inhabitants of
Jabesh Gilead
there.
10 The
congregation sent
twelve thousand of
the most valiant
men there, and
commanded them,
saying, “Go and
strike the
inhabitants of
Jabesh Gilead with
the edge of
the sword, with
the women and the
little ones.
11 This
is the thing
that you shall
do: you shall
utterly destroy
every male, and
every woman who
has lain with
a man.”
12 They
found among the
inhabitants of
Jabesh Gilead four
hundred young
virgins who had
not known man
by lying with
him; and
they brought them
to the camp
to Shiloh, which
is in the land
of Canaan.
13 The
whole congregation
sent and spoke
to the children
of Benjamin who
were in the
rock of Rimmon,
and proclaimed
peace to them.
14 Benjamin
returned at that
time; and they
gave them the women
whom they had
saved alive of
the women of
Jabesh Gilead.
There still weren’t
enough for them.
15 The
people grieved for
Benjamin, because
the LORD had
made a breach
in the tribes
of Israel.
16 Then
the elders of
the congregation said, “How
shall we
provide wives for
those who remain,
since the women
are destroyed out
of Benjamin?”
17 They said,
“There must be an
inheritance for those
who are escaped
of Benjamin, that
a tribe not
be blotted out
from Israel.
18 However,
we may not
give them wives of
our daughters, for
the children of
Israel had sworn,
saying, ‘Cursed is he
who gives a wife
to Benjamin.’ ”
19 They said,
“Behold, there is
a feast of
the LORD from
year to year
in Shiloh, which
is on the
north of Bethel,
on the east
side of the
highway that goes
up from Bethel
to Shechem, and
on the south
of Lebonah.”
20 They
commanded the
children of
Benjamin, saying, “Go
and lie in wait in
the vineyards,
21 and
see, and behold,
if the daughters
of Shiloh come
out to dance
in the dances,
then come out
of the vineyards,
and each man catch
his wife of the
daughters of
Shiloh, and go
to the land of
Benjamin.
22 It
shall be, when
their fathers or
their brothers come
to complain to
us, that we
will say to them,
‘Grant them
graciously to us,
because we didn’t
take for each man
his wife in battle,
neither did you
give them to
them; otherwise
you would now
be guilty.’ ”
23 The
children of
Benjamin did so,
and took wives for
themselves according
to their number,
of those who
danced, whom they
carried off. They
went and returned
to their
inheritance, built
the cities, and
lived in them.
24 The
children of Israel
departed from
there at that
time, every man
to his tribe
and to his
family, and
they each went out
from there to
his own inheritance.
25 In
those days there
was no king
in Israel. Everyone
did that which
was right in
his own eyes.