Judges 21:1-12 ▼

1 The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah: “None of us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage.”

2 So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. They wept loudly and bitterly,

3 and cried out, “Why, LORD God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today?”

4 The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

5 The Israelites asked, “Who of all the tribes of Israel didn’t come to the LORD with the assembly?” For a great oath had been taken that anyone who had not come to the LORD at Mizpah would certainly be put to death.

6 But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, “Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel.

7 What should we do about wives for the survivors? We’ve sworn to the LORD not to give them any of our daughters as wives.”

8 They asked, “Which city among the tribes of Israel didn’t come to the LORD at Mizpah?” It turned out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp and the assembly.

9 For when the people were counted, no one was there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.

10 The congregation sent 12,000 brave warriors there and commanded them: “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, including women and children.

11 This is what you should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every female who has slept with a man.”

12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young women, who had not had sexual relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.