1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife”.
2And the people came to the house of God, and stayed there till evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept bitterly,
3And said, “O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?”
4And it came to pass on the next day, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5And the children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up with the congregation unto the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death”.
6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7What shall we do for wives for them who remain, since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters for wives?”
8And they said, “Which of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the LORD?” And none from Jabesh-gilead had come to the assembly.
9For they had numbered people, and there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
10And the congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there, and told them, “Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and the children.
11And this is the thing that you shall do, You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain by man”.
12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, who had known no man by lying with any male; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably to them.
14And Benjamin returned to their homes again at that time; and they gave them wives whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead; But yet they were not enough for them all.
15And the people repented them for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them who remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
17And they said, There must be an inheritance for them who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe is not destroyed out of Israel.
18However, we may not give them wives of our daughters; for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin”.
19Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21And see if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and return to the land of Benjamin.
22And when their fathers or their brethren come to us to complain, we will say to them, “Be favorable to them for our sakes, because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war;, and you should not be guilty of breaking your vow, for you did not actually give to them to them.
23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them who danced, whom they caught; and they went and returned to their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
24And the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.
25In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Easy Reader Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2023 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |
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