¹And the men of Israel swore in Mizpah, saying, No man from us will give his daughter to Benjamin for a woman.

²And the people came to Beth-el, and dwelled there until the evening to the face of God, and lifted up their voice and wept a great weeping.

³And they said, Why, Yahweh, the God of Israel, was this in Israel, to visit this day from Israel one tribe?

⁴And it was, from the next day, the people rose early, and built there an altar, and brought up burnt offerings and peace offerings.

⁵And the children of Israel said, Who is which not came up in the company from all the tribes to Yahweh at Mizpah? For the great oath was to which not came up to Yahweh at Mizpah, saying, Surely he will be put to death.

⁶And the children of Israel comforted to Benjamin his brother, and said, This day one tribe is cut asunder from Israel.

⁷What will we make to them, to those who remain, for women? For we swore in Yahweh to not give to them from our daughters for women.

⁸And they said, Who one from the tribes of Israel which not came up to Yahweh at Mizpah? And no man came to the camp from Jabesh of Gilead to the company.

⁹And the people were visited, and there is no man there from those who dwelled in Jabesh of Gilead.

¹⁰And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men from the children of strength, and commanded them, saying, Go, you will strike those who dwelled in Jabesh of Gilead with the edge of the sword, and the women and the family.

¹¹And the word which you will make: all male and all woman who knows the bed of male you will ban.

¹²And they found from those who dwelled in Jabesh of Gilead four hundred girls, virgins, which not knew man to the bed of male; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

¹³And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin which were in the crag of Rimmon, and called to them wholeness.

¹⁴And Benjamin returned in that time, and they gave to them the women who they lived from the women of Jabesh of Gilead; and they did not find for them so.

¹⁵And the people comforted to Benjamin, for Yahweh made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶And the elders of the congregation said, What will we make to those who remain, for women, for the woman is wiped from Benjamin?

¹⁷And they said, There is a possession of deliverance to Benjamin, and a tribe will not be wiped from Israel.

¹⁸And we will not be able to give to them women from our daughters, for the children of Israel swore, saying, Cursed is one who gives a woman to Benjamin.

¹⁹And they said, the festival of Yahweh is in Shiloh from days, which is from the north to Beth-el, east side the sun to the highway that comes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and from the south to Lebonah.

²⁰And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go, you will lie wait in the vineyards.

²¹And you saw, if the daughters of Shiloh go forth to wait anxiously in the dancings, then you go forth from the vineyards, and you seize to you, every man his wife, from the daughters of Shiloh, and you go to the land of Benjamin.

²²And it will happen, when their fathers or their brothers come to contend to us, then we will say to them, Show favor to us them, for we did not take, every man his wife, in the war; for you not set to them as the time, you will bear.

²³And so the children of Benjamin made, and took wives to their number from those who wait anxiously which they seized; and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities and dwelled in them.

²⁴And the children of Israel went from there in that time, every man to his tribe and to his family; and they went forth from there, every man to his inheritance.

²⁵In those days there is no king in Israel; every man will make the right that pleased well in his eyes.