1. Now 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.
2. And 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:
3. O 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?
4. And rising early the next day, they built an altar: and offered there holocausts, and victims of peace, and they said:
5. Who 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.
6. And the children of Israel being moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin, began to say: One tribe is taken away from Israel.
7. Whence shall they take wives? For we have all in general sworn, not to give our daughters to them.
8. Therefore 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.)
10. So 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.
11. And this is what you shall observe: Every male, and all women that have known men, you shall kill, but the virgins you shall save.
12. And there were found of Jabes Galaad four hundred virgins, that had not known the bed of a man, and they brought them to the camp Silo, into the land of Chanaan.
13. And they sent messengers to the children of Benjamin, that were in the rock Remmon, and commanded them to receive them in peace.