Judges 21

¹Now the children of Israel had also sworn in Maspha, saying: None of us shall give of his daughters to the children of Benjamin to wife.

²And they all came to the house of God in Silo, and abiding before him till the evening, lifted up their voices, and began to lament and weep, saying:

³O Lord God of Israel, why is so great an evil come to pass in thy people, that this day one tribe should be taken away from among us?

⁴And rising early the next day, they built an altar: and offered there holocausts, and victims of peace, and they said:

⁵Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the army of the Lord? for they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were in Maspha, that whosoever were wanting should be slain.

⁶And the children of Israel being moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin, began to say: One tribe is taken away from Israel.

⁷Whence shall they take wives? For we have all in general sworn, not to give our daughters to them.

⁸Therefore they said: Who is thereof all the tribes of Israel, that came not up to the Lord to Maspha. And behold the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad were found not to have been in that army.

⁹(At that time also when they were in Silo, no one of them was found there.)

¹⁰So they sent ten thousand of the most valiant men, and commanded them, saying: Go and put the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad to the sword, with their wives and their children.

¹¹And this is what you shall observe: Every male, and all women that have known men, you shall kill, but the virgins you shall save.