וְאִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁבַּע בַּמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר אִישׁ מִמֶּנּוּ לֹא יִתֵּן בִּתּוֹ לְבִנְיָמִן לְאִשָּׁה

The men of Israel had taken an oath in the Mitzpa, in their impassioned gathering before the war, saying: No man of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife. We will never allow our daughters to marry men from Benjamin. They sought to excommunicate the entire tribe for generations to come.

וַיָּבֹא הָעָם בֵּית אֵל וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם עַד הָעֶרֶב לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַיִּשְׂאוּ קוֹלָם וַיִּבְכּוּ בְּכִי גָדוֹל

After the battles were over, and the tribe of Benjamin had been virtually destroyed, the people came to Beit El, and they stayed there until evening before God, and they raised their voices, and they wept a great weeping. This time, their motivation for weeping in Beit El was the diametric opposite of their motivation the previous time (20:26).

וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָמָה ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיְתָה זֹאת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לְהִפָּקֵד הַיּוֹם מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל שֵׁבֶט אֶחָד

They said: Why, Lord, God of Israel, why was this in Israel, to have one tribe missing from Israel today?

וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ הָעָם וַיִּבְנוּ שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלוֹת וּשְׁלָמִים

It was on the next day, the people arose early, and they built an altar there, and they offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָלָה בַקָּהָל מִכָּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה' כִּי הַשְּׁבוּעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הָיְתָה לַאֲשֶׁר לֹא עָלָה אֶל ה' הַמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר מוֹת יוּמָת

The children of Israel said: Who did not go up to the assembly, to the Lord, from all the tribes of Israel? Is there anyone who did not join the war effort? For previously there was a great oath with regard to he who did not go up to the Lord, to the Mitzpa, saying: He shall be put to death.

וַיִּנָּחֲמוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל בִּנְיָמִן אָחִיו וַיֹּאמְרוּ נִגְדַּע הַיּוֹם שֵׁבֶט אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל

The children of Israel relented and regretted their hatred toward Benjamin their brother, and said: This day, one tribe has been cut off from Israel. Benjamin has been punished more than it deserved; it is almost completely eradicated, and nothing of its territory remains other than scorched earth. Let us find a way to rehabilitate the tribe and restore matters to their former state.

מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לָהֶם לַנּוֹתָרִים לְ נָשִׁים וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִשְׁבַּעְנוּ בַה' לְבִלְתִּי תֵּת לָהֶם מִבְּנוֹתֵינוּ לְנָשִׁים

What will we do for them, the survivors, for wives? And how can we provide the remaining men of Benjamin with wives, as we have taken an oath by the Lord not to give them from our daughters for wives?

וַיֹּאמְרוּ מִי אֶחָד מִשִּׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָלָה אֶל ה' הַמִּצְפָּה וְהִנֵּה לֹא בָא אִישׁ אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה מִיָּבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אֶל הַקָּהָל

They said: Which one is it from the tribes of Israel who did not go up to the Lord to the Mitzpa? Behold, it was discovered that no man came to the camp from Yavesh Gilad to the assembly.

וַיִּתְפָּקֵד הָעָם וְהִנֵּה אֵין שָׁם אִישׁ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵשׁ גִּלְעָד

The people were counted, and behold, there was no man of the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad there.

וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ שָׁם הָעֵדָה שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אֶלֶף אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי הֶחָיִל וַיְצַוּוּ אוֹתָם לֵאמֹר לְכוּ וְהִכִּיתֶם אֶת יוֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵשׁ גִּלְעָד לְפִי חֶרֶב וְהַנָּשִׁים וְהַטָּף

The congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the soldiers of the army. They commanded them, saying: Go and smite the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad by the sword, and the women and the children, as they violated the severe communal oath.

וְזֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשׂוּ כָּל זָכָר וְכָל אִשָּׁה יֹדַעַת מִשְׁכַּב זָכָר תַּחֲרִימוּ

This is the matter that you shall do: Every male and every woman who has known lying with a male, you shall utterly destroy, kill.

וַיִּמְצְאוּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת נַעֲרָה בְתוּלָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ לְמִשְׁכַּב זָכָר וַיָּבִיאוּ אוֹתָם אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה שִׁלֹה אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן

They found among the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad four hundred young virgin women, who had not known a man by lying with a male, and they brought them, these female captives, to the camp to Shilo, which is in the land of Canaan.

וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ כָּל הָעֵדָה וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֶל בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן אֲשֶׁר בְּסֶלַע רִמּוֹן וַיִּקְרְאוּ לָהֶם שָׁלוֹם

The entire congregation sent, and they spoke to the children of Benjamin who were hiding at the rock of Rimon, and called to them in peace.

וַיָּשָׁב בִּנְיָמִן בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיִּתְּנוּ לָהֶם הַנָּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר חִיּוּ מִנְּשֵׁי יָבֵשׁ גִּלְעָד וְלֹא מָצְאוּ לָהֶם כֵּן

The survivors of Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the unmarried women whom they had spared from the women of Yavesh Gilad, but they did not find enough for them. The only survivors of the entire tribe were the approximately six hundred men who hid at the rock of Rimon, as stated above (20:47), whereas there were only four hundred captive women.

וְהָעָם נִחָם לְבִנְיָמִן כִּי עָשָׂה ה' פֶּרֶץ בְּשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The people relented toward Benjamin; they regretted what they had done to Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel, by allowing them to threaten the very existence of one of the tribes. The other tribes now felt that their reaction had been too harsh.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ זִקְנֵי הָעֵדָה מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לַנּוֹתָרִים לְנָשִׁים כִּי נִשְׁמְדָה מִבִּנְיָמִן אִשָּׁה

Then the elders of the congregation said: What shall we do for wives for those remaining, as the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?

וַיֹּאמְרוּ יְרֻשַּׁת פְּלֵיטָה לְבִנְיָמִן וְלֹא יִמָּחֶה שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל

They said: There must be a perpetuation of the remnant of Benjamin, and thus a tribe shall not be eliminated from Israel.

וַאֲנַחְנוּ לֹא נוּכַל לָתֵת לָהֶם נָשִׁים מִבְּנוֹתֵינוּ כִּי נִשְׁבְּעוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אָרוּר נֹתֵן אִשָּׁה לְבִנְיָמִן

We may not give them wives from our daughters, as the children of Israel have taken an oath, saying: Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ הִנֵּה חַג ה' בְּשִׁלוֹ מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה אֲשֶׁר מִצְּפוֹנָה לְבֵית אֵל מִזְרְחָה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לִמְסִלָּה הָעֹלָה מִבֵּית אֵל שְׁכֶמָה וּמִנֶּגֶב לִלְבוֹנָה

They, the elders of the congregation, said: Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shilo from year to year, which is located north of Beit El, in the land of Ephraim, toward the rising sun from the highway that goes up from Beit El to Shekhem, and south of Levona.

וַיְצַוּוּ אֶת בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן לֵאמֹר לְכוּ וַאֲרַבְתֶּם בַּכְּרָמִים

They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying: Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

וּרְאִיתֶם וְהִנֵּה אִם יֵצְאוּ בְנוֹת שִׁילוֹ לָחוּל בַּמְּחֹלוֹת וִיצָאתֶם מִן הַכְּרָמִים וַחֲטַפְתֶּם לָכֶם אִישׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ מִבְּנוֹת שִׁילוֹ וַהֲלַכְתֶּם אֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן

and see, and behold when the daughters of Shilo emerge to dance the dances, as young women would customarily frolic in the vineyards on holidays, you shall come out from the vineyards, and each man of you shall snatch his wife from the daughters of Shilo, and go to the land of Benjamin.

וְהָיָה כִּי יָבֹאוּ אֲבוֹתָם אוֹ אֲחֵיהֶם לָרִיב אֵלֵינוּ וְאָמַרְנוּ אֲלֵיהֶם חָנּוּנוּ אוֹתָם כִּי לֹא לָקַחְנוּ אִישׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָה כִּי לֹא אַתֶּם נְתַתֶּם לָהֶם כָּעֵת תֶּאְשָׁמוּ

It shall be when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, to complain that they have been taken, we will say to them: Be gracious to them. Forgive them, or do not demand payment from them, for we did not take a wife for each man, we did not take enough wives for them, in the war with Yavesh Gilad. And furthermore, you need not worry about the oath that no one may allow his daughter to marry a man of Benjamin, because you did not give to them, so that you would now be culpable. Since they were taken without your consent, you have not violated the oath.

וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֵן בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן וַיִּשְׂאוּ נָשִׁים לְמִסְפָּרָם מִן הַמְּחֹלְלוֹת אֲשֶׁר גָּזָלוּ וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּשׁוּבוּ אֶל נַחֲלָתָם וַיִּבְנוּ אֶת הֶעָרִים וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בָּהֶם

The children of Benjamin did so, and they married wives according to their number from the dancers whom they abducted; they went and they returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and settled in them.

וַיִּתְהַלְּכוּ מִשָּׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵת הַהִיא אִישׁ לְשִׁבְטוֹ וּלְמִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ וַיֵּצְאוּ מִשָּׁם אִישׁ לְנַחֲלָתוֹ

The children of Israel went from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family, and they departed from there each man to his inheritance. Apparently, this was the last act performed by all the tribes of Israel as a single national unit for many years.

בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶׂה

In conclusion of the story and the entire book of Judges, the text repeats the now familiar refrain: In those days, there was no king in Israel. There was no monarchy or any other form of national government. Consequently, each man would do what was fitting in his own eyes.