1
And the ish of Yisra’el had sworn at Mitzpah, saying, “Not an ish from us shall give his daughter to Binyamin as an ishah.”
2
And the people came to Beit-El and sat there before Elohim until evening, and lifted up their voice and wept with a great weeping.
3
And they said, “Why, Yahuah, Elohim of Yisra’el, has this happened in Yisra’el, that one tribe should be missing this day from Yisra’el?”
4
And it came to pass on the next day that the people rose early and built there an altar and caused ascending offerings and peace offerings to go up.
5
And the sons of Yisra’el said, “Who is there from all the tribes of Yisra’el who did not come up with the congregation to Yahuah?” For the great oath had been concerning whoever did not come up to Yahuah at Mitzpah, saying, “Dying, he shall surely die.”
6
And the sons of Yisra’el were moved with compassion concerning Binyamin their brother, and said, “One tribe has been cut off from Yisra’el this day.
7
What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Yahuah not to give them from our daughters as wives?”
8
And they said, “What one is there from the tribes of Yisra’el who did not come up to Yahuah at Mitzpah?” And see, no ish had come to the camp from Yavesh-Gilad to the congregation.
9
And the people were counted, and see, there was no ish there from the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gilad.
10
And the congregation sent there twelve thousand ish from the sons of strength, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gilad with the mouth of the sword, even the ishah and the little ones.
11
And this is the thing that you shall do: every male you shall devote to destruction, and every ishah who has known the lying of a male you shall devote to destruction.”
12
And they found among the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gilad four hundred young virgins who had not known an ish by lying with a male. And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Kena’an.
13
And all the congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Binyamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed shalom to them.
14
And Binyamin returned at that time, and they gave them the ishah whom they had kept alive from the women of Yavesh-Gilad. But they did not find enough for them.
15
And the people were moved with compassion concerning Binyamin, because Yahuah had made a breach among the tribes of Yisra’el.
16
And the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the ishah have been destroyed from Binyamin?”
17
And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Binyamin, so that a tribe is not blotted out from Yisra’el.
18
But we are not able to give them wives from our daughters, for the sons of Yisra’el have sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives an ishah to Binyamin.’”
19
And they said, “See, there is a feast of Yahuah from days to days at Shiloh, which is north of Beit-El, east of the highway that goes up from Beit-El to Shekhem, and south of Levonah.”
20
And they commanded the sons of Binyamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards.
21
And look, and see, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out from the vineyards and seize for yourselves, each ish, his ishah from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Binyamin.
22
And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to contend with us, that we shall say to them, ‘Show them favor for our sake, because we did not take for each ish his ishah in the war. For you did not give them to them, that you should now be guilty.’”
23
And the sons of Binyamin did so, and took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they seized. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities and dwelt in them.
24
And the sons of Yisra’el departed from there at that time, each ish to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there, each ish to his inheritance.
25
In those days there was no king in Yisra’el. Each ish did what was right in his own eyes.