Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 91
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bitterly. “O Lord, God of Israel,” they cried out, “why has this happened
in Israel? Now one of our tribes is missing from Israel!”
Early the next morning the people built an altar and presented their
burnt offerings and peace offerings on it. Then they said, “Who among
the tribes of Israel did not join us at Mizpah when we held our assembly
in the presence of the Lord?” At that time they had taken a solemn oath
in the Lord’s presence, vowing that anyone who refused to come would
be put to death.
The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, “Today
one of the tribes of Israel has been cut off. How can we find wives for the
few who remain, since we have sworn by the Lord not to give them our
daughters in marriage?”
So they asked, “Who among the tribes of Israel did not join us at Mizpah
when we assembled in the presence of the Lord?” And they discovered
that no one from Jabesh-gilead had attended the assembly. For after they
counted all the people, no one from Jabesh-gilead was present.
So the assembly sent 12,000 of their best warriors to Jabesh-gilead
with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children. “This
is what you are to do,” they said. “Completely destroy all the males and
every woman who is not a virgin.” Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead
they found 400 young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they
brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the remaining people
of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon. Then the men of
Benjamin returned to their homes, and the 400 women of Jabesh-gilead
who had been spared were given to them as wives. But there were not
enough women for all of them.
The people felt sorry for Benjamin because the Lord had made this
gap among the tribes of Israel. So the elders of the assembly asked, “How
can we find wives for the few who remain, since the women of the tribe of
Benjamin are dead? There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire
tribe of Israel is not wiped out. But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone
who does this will fall under God’s curse.”
Then they thought of the annual festival of the Lord held in Shiloh,
south of Lebonah and north of Bethel, along the east side of the road that
goes from Bethel to Shechem. They told the men of Benjamin who still
needed wives, “Go and hide in the vineyards. When you see the young
women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards,
and each of you can take one of them home to the land of Benjamin to be
your wife! And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we
will tell them, ‘Please be sympathetic. Let them have your daughters, for