Judges:21

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* Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah , "No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin ." * And the people came to Bethel , and sat there till evening before God , and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly . * And they said , "O LORD , the God of Israel , why has this come to pass in Israel , that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel ?" * And on the morrow the people rose early , and built there an altar , and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings . * And the people of Israel said , "Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the LORD ?" For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah , saying , "He shall be put to death ." * And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother , and said , "One tribe is cut off from Israel this day . * What shall we do for wives for those who are left , since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them any of our daughters for wives ?" * And they said , "What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah ?" And behold , no one had come to the camp from Ja 'besh-gil 'ead , to the assembly . * For when the people were mustered , behold , not one of the inhabitants of Ja 'besh-gil 'ead was there . * So the congregation sent thither twelve thousand of their bravest men , and commanded them , "Go and smite the inhabitants of Ja 'besh-gil 'ead with the edge of the sword ; also the women and the little ones . * This is what you shall do ; every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall utterly destroy ." * And they found among the inhabitants of Ja 'besh-gil 'ead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with him ; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh , which is in the land of Canaan . * Then the whole congregation sent word to the Benjaminites who were at the rock of Rimmon , and proclaimed peace to them . * And Benjamin returned at that time ; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Ja 'besh-gil 'ead ; but they did not suffice for them . * And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel . * Then the elders of the congregation said , "What shall we do for wives for those who are left , since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin ?" * And they said , "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin , that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel . * Yet we cannot give them wives of our daughters ." For the people of Israel had sworn , "Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin ." * So they said , "Behold , there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh , which is north of Bethel , on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem , and south of Lebo 'nah ." * And they commanded the Benjaminites , saying , "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards , * and watch ; if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances , then come out of the vineyards and seize each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh , and go to the land of Benjamin . * And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us , we will say to them , `Grant them graciously to us ; because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle , neither did you give them to them , else you would now be guilty .'" * And the Benjaminites did so , and took their wives , according to their number , from the dancers whom they carried off ; then they went and returned to their inheritance , and rebuilt the towns , and dwelt in them . * And the people of Israel departed from there at that time , every man to his tribe and family , and they went out from there every man to his inheritance . * In those days there was no king in Israel ; every man did what was right in his own eyes .

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