1 T he men of Israel had made a promise in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter in marriage to a man of Benjamin.”

Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

2 S o the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. In loud voices they cried,

And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

3 “ O Lord, God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel? Why should there be one family group missing in Israel today?”

And said, O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?

4 T he people got up early the next day and built an altar there. They gave burnt gifts and peace gifts on it.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 T hen the people of Israel said, “Who among all the family groups of Israel did not come with the people to the Lord?” For they had made a promise about the one who did not come to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, “For sure he will be put to death.”

And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord ? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

6 T he people of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin. They said, “One family is cut off from Israel today.

And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

7 W hat will we do for wives for those who are left? We have promised by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage.”

How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

8 T hey said, “Who of the families of Israel did not come to the Lord at Mizpah?” And they found that no one had come to the meeting from Jabesh-gilead.

And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the Lord ? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.

9 W hen the people were called, they saw that not one of the people of Jabesh-gilead was there.

For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

10 T he people sent 12, 000 powerful soldiers to go there. They told them, “Go and kill the people of Jabesh-gilead with the sword. Kill the women and the children also.

And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.

11 T his is what you must do. Destroy every man and every woman who has had a man.”

And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

12 T hey found 400 young women who had never had a man. So they brought them to the tents at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan.

And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 T hen all the people sent news to the people of Benjamin at the rock of Rimmon. They told them they wanted to have peace with them.

And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.

14 S o the people of Benjamin returned. The people of Israel gave them the women they had saved alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them.

And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

15 T he people were sorry for Benjamin because the Lord had divided the families of Israel.

And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

16 T hen the leaders of the people said, “What will we do for wives for those who are left? All the women of Benjamin were killed.”

Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

17 A nd they said, “There must be something that can be given to those of Benjamin who are left. Or a family will be taken out of Israel.

And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

18 B ut we cannot give them our daughters for wives.” For the men of Israel had promised, “A curse will come to the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.”

Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

19 S o they said, “See, there is a special supper to the Lord every year in Shiloh. It is north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

20 T hey told the men of Benjamin, “Go and hide in the grape-fields. Wait there

Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

21 a nd watch. The daughters of Shiloh might come out to dance. Then come out of the grape-fields. Each of you will catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh. Then go to the land of Benjamin.

And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

22 W hen their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Give them to us of your own free will. For we did not leave a wife for each of the men of Benjamin in battle. And you did not give them any. You would have been doing wrong.’”

And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.

23 T he men of Benjamin did so. They took wives from those who danced, one for each man. They carried them away and returned to their land. Then they built the cities again and lived in them.

And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

24 T he people of Israel left there at that time. Each man returned to his family in his own land.

And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

25 T here was no king in Israel in those days. Each man did what he thought was right.

In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.