Wives for the Benjamites

1And the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not a man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”

2And the people came to Bethel and remained there until the evening before the face of God, and they lifted up their voices and wept, bitterly weeping, 3and they said, “Why, O YHWH, God of Israel, has this come to pass in Israel, to be lacking today in Israel one tribe?”

4And it came to pass on the next morning that the people rose early and built there an altar, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5And the sons of Israel said, “Who is he that did not come up with the assembly among all the tribes of Israel to YHWH?” For a great oath had been concerning not coming up to YHWH at Mizpah, saying, “He must surely be put to death.”

6And the sons of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and they said, “Today is cut off one tribe from Israel. 7What shall we do for those who remain for wives, since we have sworn by YHWH that we will not give to them our daughters as wives?”

8And they said, “Who is one from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to YHWH to 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 not a man of those dwelling in Jabesh-gilead.

10And the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and they commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the dwellers in Jabesh-gilead with the mouth of the sword, and the women and the children. 11And this is the thing that you⁺ shall do: Every male and every woman knowing the lying of a male you⁺ shall devote to destruction.†”

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

13And all the congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they proclaimed to them peace. 14And Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave to them the women whom they had saved alive of the women from Jabesh-gilead, and they had found not for them enough.

15And the people grieved for Benjamin, because YHWH had made a void in the tribes of Israel.

16And the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for those who remain for wives, since the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?” 17And they said, “An inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. 18And we are not able to give to them wives from our daughters.”

For the sons of Israel had sworn an oath, saying, “Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.”

19And they said, “Behold, there is a feast of YHWH in Shiloh from days to days, which is north of Bethel at the rising of the sun by the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and from the south of Lebonah.”

20And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards. 21And watch, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then you⁺ shall come out from the vineyards and you⁺ shall catch for yourselves, every man, a 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 plead to us, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them, since we did not take to each man a wife in the war, for you⁺—you⁺ not have given to them at this time—that you⁺ should be guilty.’”

23And the sons of Benjamin did so, and they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them. 24And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and every man went out from there to his inheritance.

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