Wives for the Benjamites

1And the men of Israel sware in Mispah, saying: Ther shal none of vs geue his daughter vnto any of Beniamin to wife. 2And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till euen, before God, & lift vp their voyces, and wept sore, 3And sayde: O Lorde God of Israel, why is this come to passe in Israel, that there shoulde be this day one tribe lacking in Israel? 4And on the morowe the people rose vp betyme, and made there an aulter, and offered burnt offeringes and peace offeringes.

5And the children of Israel sayd: Who is he among al 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 Mispah, saying: He shall surely dye. 6And the children of Israel had pitie on Beniamin their brethren, and sayde: There is one tribe cut of from Israel this day: 7What shall we do vnto the remnaunt of them, that they may haue wiues? we haue sworne by the Lorde, that we wyl not geue the of our daughters to wiues.

8And they sayde: Is there any of the tribes of Israel, that came not vp to Mispah to the Lord? And behold, there came none of Iabes Gilead vnto the hoaste and congregation. 9For the people were viewed, and beholde there were none of the inhabitauntes of Iabes Gilead there. 10And the congregation sent thyther twelue thousand men of the strongest, and commaunded them, saying: Go, and smyte the inhabitauntes of Iabes Gilead with the edge of the sworde, both women and children. 11And this is it that ye shall do: ye shall vtterly destroy all the males, and al the women that haue lyen by men. 12And they found among the inhabitautes of Iabes Gilead foure hundred damoselles, virgins, yt had knowne no man, by lyeng with any male: And they brought them vnto the hoast to Silo, whiche is in the lande of Chanaan.

13And the whole congregation sent and spake with the children of Beniamin that were in the rocke of Rimmon, and called peaceably vnto them. 14And Beniamin came againe at that time, and they gaue them wyues which they had saued alyue of the woman of Iabes Gilead: But they suffised them not. 15And the people were sory for Beniamin, because that the Lord had made a breache in the tribes of Israel.

16And then the elders of the congregation, sayd: What shall we do to the remnaunt of them, to get them wiues? seyng all the women of Beniamin are destroyed? 17And they sayde: There must be an inheritaunce for them that be escaped of Beniamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 18Howbeit, we may not geue the wyues of our daughters. For the children of Israel had sworne, saying: Cursed be he that geueth a wyfe to Beniamin.

19Then they sayde: Behold, there is a feast of ye Lorde yerely in Silo, which is on the northside of Bethel, & on the cast side of the way that goeth from Bethel to Sichem, and south from Libanon. 20Therfore they commaunded the children of Beniamin, saying: Go, and lye in wayte in the vineyardes. 21And when ye see that the daughters of Silo come out to daunce in daunces, the come ye out of the vineyardes & catche you euery man a wyfe of the daughters of Silo, & go to the lande of Beniamin. 22And when their fathers or brethren come vnto vs to complayne, we will say vnto them, Haue pitie on vs for their sakes: because we reserued not to eche man his wyfe in tyme of warre, neither haue ye geuen vnto them, that ye should sinne at this time. 23And the children of Beniamin did eue so, and toke them wyues according to the numbre of them that dauced, whom they caught: and they went, and returned vnto their inheritaunce, and repayred the cities, and dwelt in them. 24And the children of Israel departed thence at that tyme, & went euery man to his tribe, and to his kinred, and went out from thence euery man to his inheritaunce.

25In those dayes there was no king in Israel: but euery man dyd that whiche seemed right in his owne eyes.