Judges

Peace

The men of Israel swore at Mizpah:

“None of us shall give his daughter in marriage to any Benjaminite.”

The people went to Bethel. They sat before the Lord until evening, calling on him and weeping with great lamentation.

They said:

“The Lord, God of Israel, why has this misfortune happened to Israel, that one of its tribes has perished today?”

On the next day, the people rose early, built an altar there, and offered holocausts and peace offerings.

The sons of Israel had compassion on their brother Benjamin and said:

“Today, a tribe of Israel has been cut off.

The Israelites then asked:

“Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly of the Lord?”

They solemnly swore that whoever would not come to Mizpah before the Lord should die.

What shall we do to provide wives for those that remain, for we have sworn to the Lord not to give them our daughters in marriage?”

Because of this, they asked:

“Did any tribe of Israel not come up to Mizpah before the Lord?”

And they discovered that none from Jabesh of Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.

They made the census and saw no one from Jabesh of Gilead.

Then the community sent there twelve thousand of their valiant men with this order:

“Go and put to the sword the inhabitants of Jabesh of Gilead, including women and children.

This is what you shall do: kill every man and every woman who has had a relation with a man, but let the maidens live.”

So they did. They found four hundred young virgins among the inhabitants of Yabesh in Gilead (who had not had any relations with man), and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

Then the community sent messengers to the Benjaminites who were at the rock of Rimmon to make peace with them,

and the Benjaminites returned. The Israelites gave them the women of Yabesh of Gilead they had spared, but there were not enough for all.

The people had compassion again on Benjamin, for the Lord had let one of the tribes of Israel perish.

So the community elders said:

“What can we do to provide wives for those that are left, for the women of Benjamin were killed?”

And they added:

“How can the survival of Benjamin be assured that a tribe of Israel may not perish?

We cannot give them our daughters since we have made this oath: Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin?”

But they said:

“It is now the feast of the Lord, which is celebrated annually at Shiloh, north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

So they advised the Benjaminites: “Go and wait in ambush in the vineyards.

Be ready, and when the maidens of Shiloh come dancing in groups, come out of the vineyards, and each man seize a wife and go to the land of Benjamin.

If their fathers or brothers come to complain against you, we shall tell them: Try to understand them; see, the war left us with no means of giving a wife to each one of them. You are not the ones who gave them your maidens. Otherwise, you would have broken your vow.”

So the Benjaminites did and seized the women they needed. Then they returned to their inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and dwelt in them.

The Israelites were then marched back to their homes by tribe and family.

At that time, there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what seemed good to him.