16. And the elders of the assembly said, ‘With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left?
17. The Benjaminite survivors must have heirs,’ they said, ‘so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
18. We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: “Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite.”
19. But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.’
20. So they instructed the Benjaminites, saying, ‘Go and hide in the vineyards
21. and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin.
22. When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, “Do us the favour of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.” ’
23. So that is what the Benjaminites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.