Judges 21
Wives for the Benjamites
5The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.
5And the sons of Israel said, “Who is he that did not come up with the assembly among all the tribes of Israel to YHWH?” For a great oath had been concerning not coming up to YHWH at Mizpah, saying, “He must surely be put to death.”
8So they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?” And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.
8And they said, “Who is one from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to YHWH to Mizpah?” And behold, no man had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
10So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children.
10And the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and they commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the dwellers in Jabesh-gilead with the mouth of the sword, and the women and the children.
12So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
12And they found among those dwelling in Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man by the lying with a male, and they brought them in to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
14And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.
14And Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave to them the women whom they had saved alive of the women from Jabesh-gilead, and they had found not for them enough.
19“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
19And they said, “Behold, there is a feast of YHWH in Shiloh from days to days, which is north of Bethel at the rising of the sun by the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and from the south of Lebonah.”
21and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
21And watch, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then you shall come out from the vineyards and you shall catch for yourselves, every man, a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’”
22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to plead to us, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them, since we did not take to each man a wife in the war, for you—you not have given to them at this time—that you should be guilty.’”
23The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them.
23And the sons of Benjamin did so, and they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.