1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. 2And the people came vnto ye house of God and abode there till euen before God, and lift vp their voyces, and wept with great lamentation, 3And sayde, O Lorde God of Israel, why is this come to passe in Israel, that this day one tribe of Israel should want? 4And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5Then the children of Israel said, Who is he among all the tribes of Israel, that came not vp with the Congregation vnto the Lorde? For they had made a great othe concerning him that came not vp to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, Let him die the death. 6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7How shal we do for wiues to them that remaine, seeing we haue sworne by the Lorde, that we will not giue them of our daughters to wiues? 8And they said, What one [is there] of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly. 9For when the people were vewed; beholde, none of the inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead were there. 10Therefore the Congregation sent thither twelue thousande men of the most valiant, and commaunded them, saying, Goe, and smite the inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, both women, and children. 11And this is it that ye shall do: ye shall vtterly destroye all the males and all the women that haue lien by men. 12And they found among the inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead foure hundreth maides, virgins that had knowne no man by lying with any male: and they brought them vnto the hoste to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 13And the whole congregation sent [some] to speak to the children of Benjamin that [were] in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them. 14And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. 15And the people were sorie for Beniamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 16Therefore the Elders of the Congregation said, How shall we doe for wiues to the remnant? for the women of Beniamin are destroyed. 17And they said, [There must be] an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 18Howbeit we may not giue them wiues of our daughters: for the childre of Israel had sworne, saying, Cursed be he that giueth a wise to Beniamin. 19Then they said, Behold, [there is] a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20Therefore they commaunded the children of Beniamin, saying, Goe, and lye in waite in the vineyardes. 21And when ye see that the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catche you euery man a wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and goe into the land of Beniamin. 22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, [that] ye should be guilty. 23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took [them] wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. 24So the children of Israel departed thence at that time, euery man to his tribe, and to his familie, and went out from thence euery man to his inheritance. 25In those dayes there was no King in Israel, but euery man did that which was good in his eyes.