1. The sons of Israel had also taken an oath at Mizpah, and they said, "None of us shall give his daughters as a wife to the sons of Benjamin."
2. And they all went to the house of God at Shiloh. And sitting in his sight until evening, they lifted up their voice, and they began to weep, with a great wailing, saying,
3. "Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this evil happened among your people, so that this day one tribe would be taken away from us?"
4. Then, rising at first light on the next day, they built an altar. And they offered holocausts and victims of peace offerings there, and they said,
5. "Who, out of all the tribes of Israel, did not ascend with the army of the Lord?" For they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were at Mizpah, that whoever was not present would be slain.
6. And the sons of Israel, having been led to repentance over their brother Benjamin, began to say: "One tribe has been taken away from Israel.
7. From where shall they receive wives? For we have all sworn in common that we will not give our daughters to them."