1 A nd the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, `None of us doth give his daughter to Benjamin for 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 A nd 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,

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

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 A nd 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.

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 A nd 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.'

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 A nd the sons of Israel repent concerning Benjamin their brother, and say, `There hath been to-day cut off one tribe from Israel,

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

7 w hat 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?'

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 A nd 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.

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

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

10 A nd 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.

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

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 A nd 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.

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

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 a nd 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.

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 A nd the people repented concerning Benjamin, for Jehovah had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.

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

16 A nd the elders of the company say, `What do we do to the remnant for wives -- for the women have been 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 A nd they say, `A possession of an escaped party to Benjamin, and a tribe is not blotted out from Israel;

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

18 a nd 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.'

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 A nd 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.'

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 A nd they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, `Go -- and ye have laid wait in the vineyards,

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

21 a nd 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;

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 a nd 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.'

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 A nd 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.

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 A nd 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.

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 is no king in Israel; each doth that which is 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.