Judges Chapter 21

Judges Chapter 21
1 Moreover, the men of Israel swear in
Mizpeh, saying, None of us shall give
his daughter unto the Benjamites to wife.
2 And the people came unto the house of
God and abode there till even before
God, and lift up their voices, and wept
with great lamentation, 3 And said, O
Lord God of Israel, why is this come to
pass in Israel, that this day one tribe of
Israel should want?
4 And on the morrow the people rose up
and made there an altar, and offered
burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5 Then the children of Israel said, Who
is he 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, Let him die the
death.
6 And the children of Israel were sorry
for Benjamin their brother, and said,
There is one tribe cut off from Israel this
day.
7 How shall we do for wives to them
that remain, seeing we have sworn by
the Lord, that we will not give them of
our daughters to wives?
8 Also they said, Is there any of the
tribes of Israel that came not up to
Mizpeh to the Lord? And behold, there
came none of Jabesh Gilead unto the
host and to the congregation.
9 For when the people were viewed;
behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh
Gilead were there.
10 Therefore the congregation sent
thither twelve thousand men of the most
valiant, and commanded them, saying,
Go, and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh
Gilead with the edge of the sword, both
women, and children. 11 And this is it
that ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy
all the males and all the women that
have lain by men.
12 And they found among the inhabitants
of Jabesh Gilead four hundred maids,
virgins that had known no man by lying
with any male: and they brought them
unto the host to Shiloh, which is in the
land of Canaan. 13 Then the whole
congregation sent and spake with the
children of Benjamin that were in the
rock of Rimmon, and called peaceably
unto them: 14 And Benjamin came again
at that time, and they gave them wives
which they had saved alive of the
women of Jabesh Gilead: but they had
not so enough for them.
15 And the people were sorry for
Benjamin, because the Lord had made a
breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Therefore the elders of the
congregation said, How shall we do for
wives to the remnant? For the women of
Benjamin are destroyed.
17 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 Howbeit we may not give them wives
of our daughters: for the children of
Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he
that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 19
Therefore they said, Behold, there is a
feast of the Lord every year in Shiloh in
a place, which is on the north side of
Beth-el, and on the east side of the way
that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem,
and on the south of Lebonah. 20
Therefore they commanded the children
of Benjamin, saying, Go, and lie in wait
in the vineyards.
21 And when ye see that the daughters of
Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then
come ye out of the vineyards, and catch
you every man a wife of the daughters of
Shiloh, and go into the land of Benjamin.
22 And when their fathers or their
brethren come unto us to complain, we
will say unto them, Have pity on them
for our sakes, because we reserved not
to each man his wife in the war, and
because ye have not given unto them
hitherto, ye have sinned.
23 And the children of Benjamin did so,
and took wives of them that danced
according to their number: which they
took, and went away, and returned to
their inheritance, and repaired the cities
and dwelt in them.
24 So the children of Israel departed
thence at that time, every man to his
tribe, and to his family, and went out
from thence every man to his inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in
Israel, but every man did that which was
good in his eyes.