Judges 21:1-12 ▼

1 The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, |Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.|

2 So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably.

3 They said, |Why, O LORD God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?| An entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!|

4 The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and token of peace.

5 The Israelites asked, |Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled before the LORD?| They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble before the LORD at Mizpah must certainly be executed.

6 The Israelites regretted what had happened to their brother Benjamin. They said, |Today we cut off an entire tribe from Israel!

7 How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, we took an oath in the LORD's name not to give them our daughters as wives.|

8 So they asked, |Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the LORD at Mizpah?| Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering.

9 When they took roll call, they noticed none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there.

10 So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors against Jabesh Gilead. They commanded them, |Go and kill with your swords the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children.

11 Do this: exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has had sexual relations with a male. But spare the lives of any virgins.| So they did as instructed.

12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young girls who were virgins--they had never had sexual relations with a male. They brought them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.