Wives for the Benjamites

1The men of Israel had swore at Mispa, and sayde: Noman shal geue his doughter to the BenIamites to wife. 2And the people came to the house of God (in Silo) & abode there before God vntill the euenynge, and lifte vp their voyce, and wepte sore, 3and sayde: O LORDE God of Israel, wherfore is this come to passe in Israel this daye? 4But on the morow the people gat the vp early, and builded there an altare, and offred burntofferinges and deedofferynges.

5And the children of Israel sayde: Where is there eny ma of the trybes of Israel, that is not come vp with the congregacion vnto the LORDE? For there was a greate ooth made, that who so came not vp to Mispa vnto the LORDE, shulde dye the deeth. 6And the children of Israel were sory for BenIamin their brother, and sayde: This daye is there one trybe lesse in Israel. 7How wyll we do that the remnaunt maye haue wyues? For we haue sworne by the LORDE, that we wyl not geue the wyues of oure doughters.

8And they saide: Where is there eny ma of the trybes of Israel, that is not come vp to the LORDE vnto Mispa? And beholde, there was not one man of the citesyns of Iabes in Gilead. 9Then sent the congregacion twolue thousande men of armes thither, and commaunded them, and sayde: Go youre waye, and smite the citesyns of Iabes in Gilead with the swerde, the wemen also and the children, 10but so that ye do after this maner: Se that ye damne all them that are males, and all the wemen that haue lyen with men. 11And amonge the citesins of Iabes in Gilead they foude foure hundreth damsels, which were virgins, and had lyen with noman: those they broughte in to the hoost vnto Silo, which lyeth in the londe of Canaan. 12Then sent the whole congregacion, and caused to talke with the children of BenIamin, which were in the stonie rocke of Rimo and called vnto them frendly.

13So the children of BenIamin came agayne at the same tyme, and thy gaue them wemen which they had of the wemen of Iabes in Gilead, and founde no mo after that maner. 14Then were the people sory for BenIamin, that ye LORDE had made a gappe in the trybes of Israel. 15And the Elders of the congregacio sayde: What wil we do, that the remnaunt maye haue wyues also? for the weme in Ben Iamin are destroied,

16and they sayde: The enheritaunce of them of BenIamin that are escaped, must nedes remayne, that there be not a trybe destroyed out of Israel: 17& we cannot geue them oure doughters to wiues. For the children of Israel haue sworne and sayde: Cursed be he that geueth a wyfe to the BenIamites. 18And they sayde: Beholde there is a yearly feast of the LORDE at Silo, which lieth on the northsyde of the Gods house, and on the eastside of the strete as a ma goeth from Bethel vnto Sichem, and lieth on the south side of Libona.

19And they commaunded the children of BenIamin, & sayde: Go youre waye, and wayte in the vynyardes. 20And whan ye se that the doughters of Silo go forth by copanyes to daunse, get you out of the vynyardes, and euery man take him a wyfe of the doughters of Silo, and go youre waye in to the lode of BenIamin. 21As for their fathers and brethren, whan they come to lawe with vs, 22we wyll saye vnto them: Be fauourable to them, for they haue not taken the in battaill: but ye gaue the not vnto them by time, and it is youre faute. 23The children of BenIamin did so, and acordinge to their nombre toke them wyues from the daunse, whom they caught by violence, and wente their waye, & dwelt in their awne inheritaunce, and buylded cities and dwelt therin. 24The children of Israel also gat them vp from thence at the same time, euery one to his trybe and to his kinred, and departed thece, euery man to his awne inheritaunce.

25At yt time was there no kynge in Israel, and euery man dyd ye thinge yt was right in his awne eies.