Judges 21

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The men of Israel had sworn this oath at Mizpah, 'None of us is to give his daughter in marriage toBenjamin.'	1 The sons of Israel had also taken an oath at Mizpah, and they said, “None of us shall give his daughters as a wife to the sons of Benjamin.”
2 The people went to Bethel and stayed there until evening, sitting before God and raising their voices,made a great lament,	2 And they all went to the house of God at Shiloh. And sitting in his sight until evening, they lifted up their voice, and they began to weep, with a great wailing, saying,
3 and exclaiming, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel that a tribe should be missingfrom Israel today?	3 “Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this evil happened among your people, so that this day one tribe would be taken away from us?”
4 The next day the people got up early and built an altar there; they presented burnt offerings andcommunion sacrifices.	4 Then, rising at first light on the next day, they built an altar. And they offered holocausts and victims of peace offerings there, and they said,
5 The Israelites then said, 'Out of al the tribes of Israel, who has not come to Yahweh, to the assembly?'-- for they had sworn a solemn oath that anyone who did not come to Yahweh at Mizpah would certainly die.	5 “Who, out of all the tribes of Israel, did not ascend with the army of the Lord?” For they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were at Mizpah, that whoever was not present would be slain.
6 Now the Israelites felt sorry about Benjamin their brother. 'Today', they said, 'a tribe has beenamputated from Israel.	6 And the sons of Israel, having been led to repentance over their brother Benjamin, began to say: “One tribe has been taken away from Israel.
7 What shall we do to provide wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by Yahweh not to givethem any of our own daughters in marriage?'	7 From where shall they receive wives? For we have all sworn in common that we will not give our daughters to them.”
8 They then asked, 'Out of the tribes of Israel, who is it that has not come to Yahweh at Mizpah?' It wasdiscovered that no one from Jabesh in Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly;	8 For this reason, they said, “Who is there, out of all the tribes of Israel, that did not ascend to the Lord at Mizpah?” And behold, the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead were found not to have been among that army.
9 for, a muster having been cal ed of the people, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead waspresent.	9 (Likewise, in the time when they had been at Shiloh, not one of them was found to be there.)
10 The community then despatched twelve thousand of their bravest men there, with these orders: 'Goand slaughter all the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead, including the women and children.	10 And so they sent ten thousand very robust men, and they instructed them, saying, “Go and strike down the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, including their wives and little ones.”
11 This is what you are to do. Al males and al those women who have ever slept with a man, you wilput under the curse of destruction, but the lives of the virgins you wil spare.' And this they did.	11 And this shall be what you ought to do: “Everyone of the male gender, as well as all the women who have known men, shall be put to death. But the virgins you shall reserve.”
12 Among the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had neverslept with a man, and brought them to the camp (to Shiloh in the territory of Canaan).	12 And four hundred virgins, who had not known the bed of a man, were found from Jabesh-Gilead. And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan.
13 The whole community then sent messengers to offer peace to the Benjaminites who were at the Rockof Rimmon.	13 And they sent messengers to the sons of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they instructed them, so that they would receive them in peace.
14 Benjamin then came home: they were given those of the women of Jabesh in Gilead whose lives hadbeen spared, but there were not enough for al .	14 And the sons of Benjamin went, at that time, and wives were given to them from the daughters of Jabesh-Gilead. But others were not found, whom they might give in a similar manner.
15 The people felt sorry about Benjamin, Yahweh having made a breach in the tribes of Israel.	15 And all of Israel was very saddened, and they did penance for destroying one tribe out of Israel.
16 And the elders of the community said, 'What shall we do to provide wives for the survivors, since thewomen of Benjamin have been wiped out?'	16 And those greater by birth said: “What shall we do with the remainder, those who have not received wives? For all the females of Benjamin have been cut down,
17 They went on, 'How can we preserve a remnant for Benjamin so that a tribe may not be lost to Israel?	17 and we must take great care, and make provision with a very great diligence, so that one tribe may not be wiped away from Israel.
18 We cannot give them our own daughters in marriage' -- for the Israelites had taken an oath,'Accursed be the man who gives a wife to Benjamin!'	18 As for our own daughters, we are not able to give them, being bound by an oath and a curse, when we said, ‘Accursed is he who will give any of his daughters to Benjamin as a wife.’ ”
19 'However,' they said, 'there is the feast of Yahweh, held every year at Shiloh.' (The town lies north ofBethel, east of the highway that runs from Bethel up to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.)	19 And they took counsel, and they said, “Behold, there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord at Shiloh, which is situated to the north of the city of Bethel, and on the eastern side of the way that one takes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of the town of Lebonah.”
20 So they told the Benjaminites to do as fol ows, 'Put yourselves in ambush in the vineyards.	20 And they instructed the sons of Benjamin, and they said: “Go, and hide in the vineyards.
21 Keep watch: when the girls of Shiloh come out in groups to dance, you then come out of thevineyards, each of you seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh and make for Benjaminite territory.	21 And when you will have seen daughters of Shiloh being led out to dance, according to custom, go forth suddenly from the vineyards, and let each one seize one wife from among them, and travel into the land of Benjamin.
22 If their fathers or brothers come and complain to us, we shall say, "Let us have them, since we couldnot take wives for everyone in the battle; and you could not give them to them, or you would then have beenguilty." '	22 And when their fathers and brothers arrive, and they begin to complain against you and to argue, we will say to them: ‘Take pity on them. For they have not seized them by right of war or conquest. Instead, begging to receive them, you did not give them, and so the sin was on your part.’ ”
23 The Benjaminites did this and, from the dancers whom they caught, took as many wives as therewere men and then, setting off, went back to their heritage, rebuilt the towns and settled down in them.	23 And so the sons of Benjamin did just as they had been ordered. And according to their number, they seized for themselves one wife each, out of those who were led out dancing. And they went into their own possession, and they built up their cities, and they lived in them.
24 The Israelites then dispersed, each man to rejoin his tribe and clan, each leaving that place for hisown heritage.	24 The sons of Israel also returned, according to their tribes and families, to their tents. In those days, there was no king in Israel. Instead, each one did what seemed right to himself.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did as he saw fit.