Judges 21

1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”Cross-references: Ex 34:12 · Deut 7:2 · Judg 11:30 · Judg 20:1 · Judg 20:8 · Judg 20:10 · +10 more

2The people came to Bethel and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.Cross-references: Gen 27:38 · Josh 18:1 · Judg 2:4 · Judg 20:18 · Judg 20:23 · Judg 20:26 · +2 more

3They said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?”Cross-references: Deut 29:24 · Josh 7:7 · Ps 74:1 · Ps 80:12 · Prov 19:3 · Isa 63:17 · +1 more

4On the next day, the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.Cross-references: Ex 20:24 · Judg 6:26 · 2Sam 24:18 · 2Sam 24:25 · 1Ki 8:64 · Ps 78:34 · +2 more

5The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up in the assembly to Yahweh?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”Cross-references: Lev 27:28 · Judg 5:23 · Judg 21:1 · Judg 21:18 · 1Sam 11:7 · Jer 48:10

6The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.Cross-references: Judg 11:35 · Judg 20:23 · Judg 21:15 · 2Sam 2:26 · Hos 11:8 · Luke 19:41

7How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”Cross-references: Judg 21:1 · Judg 21:18 · 1Sam 14:28 · 1Sam 14:45

8They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah?” Behold, no one came from Jabesh Gilead to the camp to the assembly.Cross-references: 1Sam 11:1 · 1Sam 31:11 · 2Sam 2:5

9For when the people were counted, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.

10The congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.Cross-references: Deut 13:15 · Josh 7:24 · Judg 5:23 · Judg 21:5 · 1Sam 11:7 · 1Sam 15:3

11This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”Cross-references: Num 31:17 · Deut 2:34

12They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.Cross-references: Josh 18:1 · Judg 20:18 · Judg 20:23 · Ps 78:60 · Jer 7:12

13The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.Cross-references: Deut 20:10 · Josh 15:32 · Judg 20:47 · Isa 57:19 · Luke 10:5 · Eph 2:17

14Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.Cross-references: Judg 20:47 · Judg 21:12 · 1Cor 7:2

15The people grieved for Benjamin, because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.Cross-references: Judg 21:6 · Judg 21:17 · 1Chr 13:11 · 1Chr 15:13 · Isa 30:13 · Isa 58:12

16Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”

17They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.Cross-references: Num 26:55 · Num 36:7

18However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”Cross-references: Judg 11:35 · Judg 21:1

19They said, “Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”Cross-references: Ex 23:14 · Lev 23:2 · Lev 23:4 · Lev 23:6 · Lev 23:10 · Lev 23:34 · +13 more

20They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

21and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.Cross-references: Ex 15:20 · Judg 11:34 · 1Sam 18:6 · 2Sam 6:14 · 2Sam 6:21 · Ps 149:3 · +5 more

22It shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we didn’t take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them; otherwise you would now be guilty.’”Cross-references: Gen 1:27 · Gen 7:13 · Judg 21:1 · Judg 21:7 · Judg 21:14 · Judg 21:18 · +4 more

23The children of Benjamin did so, and took wives for themselves according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them.Cross-references: Judg 20:48

24The children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they each went out from there to his own inheritance.

25In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.Cross-references: Deut 12:8 · Judg 17:6 · Judg 18:1 · Judg 18:7 · Judg 19:1 · Ps 12:4 · +4 more