Judges 21

Israel Grieves for Benjamin

1Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as wife.” 2The people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. They lifted up their voices and wept greatly. 3They said, “Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that today one tribe should be missing from Israel?” 4The next day the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being.

Jabesh-Gilead Is Destroyed

5The children of Israel said, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” 6The children of Israel had compassion on Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe has been cut off from Israel today. 7What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them any of our daughters as wives?” 8They said, “What one from the tribes of Israel did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?” And look, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead to the assembly. 9For when the people were counted, look, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead was there. 10So the congregation sent twelve thousand of the men of valor there and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and little children. 11This is the thing you shall do: devote to destruction every male and every woman who has known the lying of a male.” 12They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man by lying with a male, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Peace with Benjamin

13Then the whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them. 14Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-Gilead. But there were not enough for them. 15The people had compassion on Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

The Women of Shiloh

16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women have been destroyed from Benjamin?” 17They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe may not be blotted out from Israel. 18Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’” 19So they said, “Look, there is the yearly festival of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” 20They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards. 21Watch, and look, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out from the vineyards, seize for yourselves each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22When their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Show us favor concerning them, because we did not take a wife for each man in battle, and you did not give them to them, or you would now be guilty.’” 23The children of Benjamin did so and took wives according to their number from the women who danced, whom they carried away. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, rebuilt the cities, and lived in them.

Everyone Did What Was Right in Their Own Eyes

24The children of Israel departed from there at that time, each to his tribe and clan. They went out from there, each to his inheritance. 25In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.