1 Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.2 And the people came to the house of God, and remained there before God till evening, and lifted up their voices and wept with great weeping,3 and said, O Jehovah the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?4 And it came to pass the next morning, that the people arose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who did not come up to Jehovah at Mizpah, saying, He shall die the death.6 And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, One tribe is cut off from Israel today.7 What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah not to give them our daughters as wives?8 And they said, What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Mizpah to Jehovah? And, behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.9 For when the people were numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there.10 And the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children.11 And this is the thing that you shall do: You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man by lying with him.12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.13 And the whole congregation sent word to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.14 And Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found enough for them.15 And the people grieved for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.16 And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for the remnant of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel.18 However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.19 Then they said, Behold, there is a yearly feast of Jehovah in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.20 Therefore they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,21 and watch; and when the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; and go to the land of Benjamin.22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, Be gracious to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, thus making yourselves guilty of your oath.23 And the sons of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.24 So the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they departed from there, every man to his inheritance.25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did what was right in his own eyes.

1 Also the sones of Israel sworen in Maspha, and seiden, Noon of vs schal yyue to the sones of Beniamyn a wijf of his douytris.2 And `alle camen to the hows of God in Silo, and thei saten in the `siyt of hym `til to euentid, and thei reisiden the vois, and bigunnen to wepe with greet yellyng,3 and seiden, Lord God of Israel, whi is this yuel don in thi puple, that to dai o lynage be takun awey of vs?4 Sotheli in the tother day thei risiden eerli, and bildyden an auter, and offriden there brent sacrifices and pesible sacrifices, and seiden,5 Who of alle the lynagis of Israel stiede not in to the oost of the Lord? For whanne thei weren in Maspha, thei `hadden bounde hem silf with a greuouse ooth, that thei that failiden schulden be slayn.6 And the sones of Israel weren led bi penaunce on her brother Beniamyn, and bigunnen to seie, O lynage of Israel is takun awey;7 wherof schulen thei take wyues? for alle we sworen in comyn, that we schulen not yyue oure douytris to hem.8 Therfor thei seiden, Who is of alle the lynagis of Israel, that stiede not to the Lord in Maspha? And lo! the dwelleris of Jabes of Galaad weren foundun, that thei weren not in the oost.9 Also in that tyme, whanne thei weren in Silo, noon of hem was foundun there.10 Therfor thei senten ten thousynde strongeste men, and comaundiden to hem, Go ye, and smyte the dwelleris of Jabes of Galaad bi the scharpnesse of swerd, as wel the wyues as `the litle children of hem.11 And this thing schal be, which ye `owen to kepe, sle ye alle of male kynde, and the wymmen, that knewen men fleischli; reserue ye the virgyns.12 And foure hundrid virgyns, that knewen not the bed of man, weren foundun of Jabes of Galaad; and thei brouyten hem to the castels in Silo, in to the lond of Chanaan.13 And `thei senten messangeris to the sones of Beniamyn, that weren in the stoon of Remmon; and thei comaundiden to hem, that thei schulden resseyue tho wymmen in pees.14 And the sones of Beniamyn camen in that tyme, and the douytris of Jabes of Galaad weren youun to hem to wyues; forsothe thei founden not othere wymmen, whiche thei schulden yyue in lijk maner.15 And al Israel sorewide greetly, and dide penaunce on the sleyng of o lynage of Israel.16 And the grettere men in birthe seiden, What schulen we do to the othere men, that han not take wyues? Alle the wymmen in Beniamyn felden doun,17 and it `is to vs to puruey `with greet cure and greet studie, that o lynage be not don awey fro Israel.18 We moun not yyue oure douytris to hem, for we ben boundun with an ooth and cursyng, bi which we seiden, Be he cursid that yyueth of hise douytris a wijf to Beniamyn.19 And thei token a counsel, and seiden, Lo! annyuersarie solempnyte of the Lord is in Silo, whych is set at the north of the citee of Bethel, and at the eest coost of the weie that goith from Bethel to Siccyma, and at the south of the citee of Lebona.20 And thei comaundiden to the sones of Beniamyn, and seiden, Go ye, be ye hid in the vyneris;21 and whanne ye seen douytris of Silo go forth bi custom to lede daunsis, go ye out of the vyneris sudeynli, and rauysche ye hem, eche man o wijf, and go ye in to the lond of Beniamyn.22 And whanne the fadris and britheren of hem schulen come, and bigynne to pleyne and plete ayens you, we schulen seie to hem, Haue ye mercy of hem; for thei rauyschiden not hem bi riyt of fiyteris and ouercomeris, but ye `yauen not to hem preiynge that thei schulden take; and the synne is of youre part.23 And the sones of Beniamyn diden as it was comaundid to hem, and bi her noumbre thei rauyschiden wyues to hem, ech man o wijf, of hem that ledden daunsis. And thei yeden in to her possessioun, and bildiden citees, and dwelliden in tho.24 And the sones of Israel turneden ayen, bi lynagis and meynees, in to her tabernaclis. In tho dayes was no kyng in Israel, but ech man dide this, that semyde ryytful to hym silf.