Judges 21 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Early in the era of the judges, immediately after the war with Benjamin
Location
Bethel and Mizpah in the central hills, Jabesh Gilead east of the Jordan River, and Shiloh, the site of Israel's tabernacle in the territory of Ephraim
Audience
Israelites of a later generation, most likely readers under the early kings, reading the closing scene of the book
Situation
With Benjamin nearly wiped out, the other tribes regret having sworn not to give their daughters to the survivors. They wipe out Jabesh Gilead for not joining the muster and take its unmarried women, then tell the remaining Benjaminites to seize dancing girls at the yearly festival in Shiloh.
Key Background
An oath sworn before God was considered irreversible, so the tribes look for loopholes rather than simply releasing themselves from a vow they now regret, and the result is more killing done to keep a promise made in anger. A tribe without women faced extinction as a legal and territorial entity, since land inheritance passed through family lines, which is why the survival of Benjamin is treated as a national emergency. Shiloh held the tabernacle and hosted an annual harvest festival with dancing in the vineyards, and the book ends with abduction at a religious feast and the repeated line that everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Now the men of Israel had an at "None of us will give our daughters in marriage to anyone from
The people went to and sat there before until evening, weeping bitterly and loudly.
They cried out, God of Israel — why has this happened in Israel? Why is from Israel today?"
The next day the people got up early and built an there, and they offered and
Then the Israelites asked, "Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the before Yahweh?" Because they had sworn a that anyone who did not come before Yahweh at Mizpah would certainly be put to death.
The Israelites were with over their Benjamin. They said, "Today one tribe has been from Israel."
"What are we going to do about wives for the survivors? We swore before Yahweh not to give them any of our daughters in marriage."
Then they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel didn't come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?" And they discovered that no one from had come to the camp for the assembly.
When the people were counted, not a single person from Jabesh-gilead was there.
So the community sent twelve thousand of their most there, ordering them: "Go and strike down everyone living in Jabesh-gilead with the sword — including women and children."
"This is what you are to do: every male and every woman who has slept with a man."
They found among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at in the land of
Then the whole community sent a message to the Benjaminites at the of offering them
So Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women from Jabesh-gilead who had been kept alive. But there weren't enough for all of them.
The people over Benjamin because Yahweh had made a in the tribes of Israel.
The of the community said, "What are we going to do to provide wives for the men who are left? All the women of Benjamin have been wiped out."
They said, "There must be an for Benjamin's survivors, so that a tribe won't be from Israel."
"But we can't give them our own daughters as wives, because the Israelites swore an oath: is anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.'"
Then they said, "Look — there's an annual to Yahweh in Shiloh." (Shiloh is north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to and south of
So they instructed the Benjaminites: "Go hide in the and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to rush out from the and each of you grab a wife from the young women of Shiloh. Then go back to the land of Benjamin."
Watch for them — and when the young women of Shiloh come out to dance, each of you rush out from the vineyards and carry off a wife for yourself. Then go home to the land of Benjamin.
"When their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we'll tell them, 'Do us a and let them keep the women, because we didn't get enough wives for them during the war. And technically you didn't give your daughters to them — so you haven't broken your
So that's what the Benjaminites did. They each took a wife from the dancers they carried off. Then they went back to their own territory, their towns, and settled in them.
Then the Israelites left that place, and everyone went home to their own their own and their own
In those days Israel had no Everyone did what was in their own