Judges 21

1 Now the men of Yisrael had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, “There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin (Binyamin) as wife.”

2 And the people came to the house of God (Elohim), and abode there till even before God (Elohim), and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

3 And said, “O יהוה God of Israel (Elohei Yisrael), why is this come to pass in Yisrael, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Yisrael?”

4 And it came to pass on the next day, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 And the children of Yisrael said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Yisrael that came not up with the congregation unto יהוה?” For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to יהוה to Mizpeh, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”

6 And the children of Yisrael repented them for Benjamin (Binyamin) their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Yisrael this day.”

7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by יהוה that we will not give them of our daughters as wives?”

8 And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Yisrael that came not up to Mizpeh to יהוה?” And, behold, there came none to the camp from Yavesh-Gilad to the assembly.

9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gilad there.

10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, “Go and smite the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gilad with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.

11 And this is the thing that you shall do: You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.”

12 And they found among the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gilad four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin (Binyamin) that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.

14 And Benjamin (Binyamin) came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Yavesh-Gilad; and yet so they sufficed them not.

15 And the people repented them for Benjamin (Binyamin), because that יהוה had made a breach in the tribes of Yisrael.

16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin (Binyamin)?”

17 And they said, “There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin (Binyamin), that a tribe be not destroyed out of Yisrael.

18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters; for the children of Yisrael have sworn, saying, ‘Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin (Binyamin).’”

19 Then they said, “Behold, there is a Feast of יהוה in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel (Beit-El), on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel (Beit-El) to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”

20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin (Binyamin), saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come you out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin (Binyamin).

22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, ‘Be favorable unto them for our sakes, because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war; for you did not give unto them at this time, that you should

be guilty.’”

23 And the children of Benjamin (Binyamin) did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught; and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

24 And the children of Yisrael departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

25 In those days there was no king in Yisrael; every man did that which was right in his own eyes.