Judges 21:16-25

« Judges 20Judges 21Ruth 1 »

16 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?” 17 And they said, “There must be a possession for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. 18 But we cannot give them wives of our daughters.” For the sons of Israel ^ahad sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”
19 So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in ^aShiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on ¹the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.” 20 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 21 and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to ¹^atake part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards, and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 And it will be when their fathers or their brothers come to contend with us, that we shall say to them, ‘Be gracious to us concerning them because we did not take for each man of Benjamin ¹a wife in the battle, ²^aand you did not give your daughters to them; otherwise you would now be guilty.’” 23 And the sons of Benjamin did so and carried away wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they stole away. And they went and returned to their inheritance and ^arebuilt the cities and lived in them. 24 Then the sons of Israel went away from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one of them went out from there to his inheritance.
25 ^aIn those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

« Judges 20Judges 21Ruth 1 »