1 N ow the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”

¶ Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, None of us shall give his daughter unto those of Benjamin to wife.

2 T he people came to Bethel, and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.

And the people came to the house of God and abode there until the evening before God and lifted up their voices and wept sore

3 T hey said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?”

and said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?

4 O n the next day, the people rose early, and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

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

5 T he 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.”

And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning the one that would not come up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

6 T he children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.

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

7 H ow shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”

What shall we do for wives for those that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters for wives?

8 T hey said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah?” Behold, no one came from Jabesh Gilead to the camp to the assembly.

And they said, Is there anyone of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And they found that no one from Jabeshgilead had come to the camp nor to the assembly.

9 F or when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.

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

10 T he congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there, 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.

Then the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant 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 the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”

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

12 T hey 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.

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 he whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.

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

14 B enjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.

And those of Benjamin had returned at that time; and they gave them as wives those whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead, and even so they were not enough.

15 T he people grieved for Benjamin, because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

And the people repented over Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

16 T hen the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”

¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those that remain? For the female sex had been destroyed out of Benjamin.

17 T hey said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.

And they said, Let the inheritance of Benjamin be saved that a tribe not be destroyed out of Israel.

18 H owever we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”

However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that gives a wife to anyone of Benjamin.

19 T hey 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.”

Then they said, Behold, there is a solemn feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is towards the Aquilon from Bethel and towards the rising of the sun from the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and towards the Negev from Lebonah.

20 T hey commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

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

21 a nd 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.

and watch with care, and when you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each one of you shall rapture a wife of the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin.

22 I t 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, otherwise you would now be guilty.’”

And when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, we will say unto them, Be merciful unto us for their sakes because in the war we did not take enough women for all of them; and you could not have given them to them, or ye should be guilty now.

23 T he children of Benjamin did so, and took wives for themselves, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them.

And the sons of Benjamin did so and took themselves wives, according to their number, rapturing them from among those that danced; and they went and returned unto their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.

24 T he children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they each went out from there to his own inheritance.

Then the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family, each one going from there to his inheritance.

25 I n those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.

In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did that which seemed right in his own eyes.