1. Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.
2. And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept bitterly;
3. And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?
4. 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.
5. And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation to the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
6. And the children of Israel repented for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7. How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD, that we will not give them of our daughters for wives?
8. And 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 Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
9. For the people were numbered, and behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
10. And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
11. And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
12. And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13. And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably to them.
14. And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.
15. And the people repented for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.