Shuphatym (Judges) — 21
Yashar'AL Provides Wives for Banyamin
1 The Yasharalym had vowed at Mizpah, “We will never give our daughters in marriage to a man from the tribe of Banyamin.”
2 Now the people went to Bathal and sat in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH until evening, weeping loudly and bitterly.
3 “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL,” they cried out, “why has this happened in Yashar'AL? Now one of our tribes is missing from Yashar'AL!”
4 Early the next morning the people built an altar and presented their burnt offerings and peace offerings on it.
5 Then they said, “Who among the tribes of Yashar'AL did not join us at Mizpah when we held our assembly in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH?” At that time they had taken a solemn oath in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, vowing that anyone who refused to come would be put to death.
6 The Yasharalym felt sorry for their brother Banyamin and said, “Today one of the tribes of Yashar'AL has been cut off.
7 How can we find wives for the few who remain, since we have sworn by 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH not to give them our daughters in marriage?”
8 So they asked, “Who among the tribes of Yashar'AL did not join us at Mizpah when we assembled in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH? And they discovered that no one from Yabash-gilaad had attended the assembly.
9 For after they counted all the people, no one from Yabash-gilaad was present.
10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand of their best warriors to Yabash-gilaad with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children.
11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Completely destroy all the males and every woman who is not a virgin.”
12 Among the residents of Yabash-gilaad they found four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiluh in the land of Canaan.
13 The Yasharalym assembly sent a peace delegation to the remaining people of Banyamin who were living at the rock of Rimmun.
14 Then the men of Banyamin returned to their homes, and the four hundred women of Yabash-gilaad who had been spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them.
15 The people felt sorry for Banyamin because 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH had made this gap among the tribes of Yashar'AL.
16 So the elders of the assembly asked, “How can we find wives for the few who remain, since the women of the tribe of Banyamin are dead?
17 There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Yashar'AL is not wiped out.
18 But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under the curse of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.”
19 Then they thought of the annual festival of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH held in Shiluh, south of Lebunah and north of Bathal, along the east side of the road that goes from Bathal to Shacham.
20 They told the men of Banyamin who still needed wives, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
21 When you see the young women of Shiluh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to the land of Banyamin to be your wife!
22 And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, ‘Please be sympathetic. Let them have your daughters, for we did not find wives for all of them when we destroyed Yabash-gilaad. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not actually give your daughters to them in marriage.’”
23 So the men of Banyamin did as they were told. Each man caught one of the women as she danced in the celebration and carried her off to be his wife. They returned to their own land, and they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.
24 Then the people of Yashar'AL departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes.
25 In those days Yashar'AL had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.