1 N ow the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, None of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.

And the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, `None of us doth give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.'

2 A nd the Israelites came to the house of God and sat there until evening before God and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.

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 A nd they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?

and say, `Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, hath this been in Israel -- to be lacking to-day, from Israel, one tribe?'

4 A nd next morning the people rose early, and built there an altar, 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 A nd the Israelites said, Which among all the tribes of Israel did not come up with the assembly to the Lord? For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely die.

And the sons of Israel say, `Who 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 A nd the Israelites changed their purpose for the Benjamites their kinsmen 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 W hat shall we do for wives for those who are left, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters as 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 A nd they said, Which one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly.

And they say, `Who is 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 F or when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the citizens of Jabesh-gilead was there.

And the people numbered themselves, and lo, there is not there a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.

10 A nd the congregation sent there 12, 000 of the bravest men, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, also 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 A nd this is what you shall do; utterly destroy every male and every woman who is not a virgin.

And this the thing which ye do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, ye devote.'

12 A nd they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins, who had known no man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp at 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 in the land of Canaan.

13 A nd the whole congregation sent word to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon and invited them to be friendly with them.

And all the company send, and speak, unto the sons of Benjamin who in the rock Rimmon, and proclaim to them peace;

14 A nd Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead; and yet there 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 them so.

15 A nd the people had compassion on 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 T hen the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin are destroyed?

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 A nd they said, There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe shall not be wiped out of Israel.

And they say, `A possession of an escaped party to Benjamin, and a tribe is not blotted out from Israel;

18 B ut we cannot give them wives of our daughters, for the Israelites have sworn, Cursed be 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 he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.'

19 S o they said, Behold, there is the yearly feast of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and south of Lebonah.

And they say, `Lo, a festival of Jehovah in Shiloh, from time to time, which 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 S o they commanded the Benjamites, 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 A nd watch; if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and catch every man his wife from 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 A nd when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, we will say to them, Grant them graciously unto us, because we did not reserve a wife for each of them in battle, neither did you give wives to them, for that would have made you 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 them, for we have not taken each his wife in battle, for ye -- ye have not given to them at this time ye are guilty.'

23 A nd the Benjamites did so and took wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off; then they went and returned to their inheritance and repaired the towns and dwelt 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 A nd the Israelites left there then, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his 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 I n those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what 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.