Judges 21
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”
And the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, 'None of us doth give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.'
2 The people came to Bethel and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.
And the people come in to Beth-El, and sit there till the evening before God, and lift up their voice, and weep — a great weeping,
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?”
and say, 'Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, hath this been in Israel — to be lacking to-day, from Israel, one tribe?'
4 On the next day, the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
And it cometh to pass on the morrow, that the people rise early, and build there an altar, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.
5 The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”
And the sons of Israel say, 'Who [is] he that hath not come up in the assembly out of all the tribes of Israel unto Jehovah?' for the great oath hath been concerning him who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh, saying, 'He is surely put to death.'
6 The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.
And the sons of Israel repent concerning Benjamin their brother, and say, 'There hath been to-day cut off one tribe from Israel,
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?”
what do we do for them — for those who are left — for wives, and we — we have sworn by Jehovah not to give to them of our daughters for wives?'
8 They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah?” Behold, no one came from Jabesh Gilead to the camp to the assembly.
And they say, 'Who is [that] one out of the tribes of Israel who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh?' and lo, none hath come in unto the camp from Jabesh-Gilead — unto the assembly.
9 For when the people were counted, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.
And the people numbered themselves, and lo, there is not there a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.
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.
And the company send there twelve thousand men of the sons of valour, and command them, saying, 'Go — and ye have smitten the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead by the mouth of the sword, even the women and the infants.
11 This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”
And this [is] the thing which ye do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, ye devote.'
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.
And they find out of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women, virgins, who have not known man by the lying of a male, and they bring them in unto the camp at 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.
And all the company send, and speak, unto the sons of Benjamin who [are] in the rock Rimmon, and proclaim to them peace;
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 were not enough for them.
and Benjamin turneth back at that time, and they give to them the women whom they have kept alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead, and they have not found for [all of] them so.
15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
And the people repented concerning Benjamin, for Jehovah had made a breach among 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?”
And the elders of the company say, 'What do we do to the remnant for wives — for the women have been 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.
And they say, 'A possession of an escaped party [is] to Benjamin, and a tribe is not 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.’”
and we — we are not able to give to them wives out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [is] he who is giving 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.”
And they say, 'Lo, a festival of Jehovah [is] in Shiloh, from time to time, which [is] on the north of Beth-El, at the rising of the sun, by the highway which is going up from Beth-El to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.'
20 They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
And they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, 'Go — and ye have laid 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.
and have seen, and lo, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances — then ye have gone out from the vineyards, and caught for you each his wife out of the daughters of Shiloh, and gone 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 did not take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them; otherwise you would now be guilty.’”
and it hath been, when their fathers or their brethren come in to plead unto us, that we have said unto them, Favour us [by] them, for we have not taken [to] each his wife in battle, for ye — ye have not given to them at this time [that] ye are 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.
And the sons of Benjamin do so, and take women according to their number, out of the dancers whom they have taken violently away; and they go, and turn back unto their inheritance, and build the cities, and dwell 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.
And the sons of Israel go up and down thence at that time, each to his tribe, and to his family; and they go out thence each to his inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.
In those days there is no king in Israel; each doth that which is right in his own eyes.
