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Judges - ch 21 v 1 - 20
- Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
- And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore.
- And they said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?
- And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.
- And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
- And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
- How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
- And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
- For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
- And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.
- And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
- And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
- And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them.
- And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.
- And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
- Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
- And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel.
- Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
- And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
- And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
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