June
1
Judges
21
Jdg
21:1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall
not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin as wife.
Jdg
21:2 The people came to Bethel, and sat there until evening before
God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore.
Jdg
21:3 They said, Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this happened in
Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?
Jdg
21:4 It happened on the next day that the people rose early, and
built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace
offerings.
Jdg
21:5 The children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes
of Israel who didn't come up in the assembly to Yahweh? For they had
made a great oath concerning him who didn't come up to Yahweh to
Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
Jdg
21:6 The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and
said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
Jdg
21:7 How shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have
sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
Jdg
21:8 They said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn't
come up to Yahweh to Mizpah? Behold, there came none to the camp from
Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.
Jdg
21:9 For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of
the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.
Jdg
21:10 The congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most
valiant, 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.
Jdg
21:11 This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy
every male, and every woman who has lain by man.
Jdg
21:12 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.
Jdg
21:13 The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of
Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to
them.
Jdg
21:14 Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women
whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead: and yet so
they weren't enough for them.
Jdg
21:15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because that Yahweh had made
a breach in the tribes of Israel.
Jdg
21:16 Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for
wives for those who remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of
Benjamin?
Jdg
21:17 They said, There must be an inheritance for those who are
escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
Jdg
21:18 However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the
children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife
to Benjamin.
Jdg
21:19 They said, Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh 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.
Jdg
21:20 They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in
wait in the vineyards,
Jdg
21:21 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.
Jdg
21:22 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, else you would now be guilty.