Wives for the Benjamites

21 The men of Israel had taken an oath^(A) at Mizpah:^(B) “Not one of us will give^(C) his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

² The people went to Bethel,^[a] where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. ³ “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing^(D) from Israel today?”

⁴ Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.^(E)

⁵ Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel^(F) has failed to assemble before the Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death.

⁶ Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said. ⁷ “How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath^(G) by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?” ⁸ Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead^(H) had come to the camp for the assembly. ⁹ For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.

¹⁰ So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. ¹¹ “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male^(I) and every woman who is not a virgin.^(J)” ¹² They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh^(K) in Canaan.

¹³ Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace^(L) to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.^{(M) 14} So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.

¹⁵ The people grieved for Benjamin,^(N) because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. ¹⁶ And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? ¹⁷ The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.^{(O) 18} We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath:^(P) ‘Cursed be anyone who gives^(Q) a wife to a Benjamite.’ ¹⁹ But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh,^(R) which lies north of Bethel^(S), east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem,^(T) and south of Lebonah.”

²⁰ So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards ²¹ and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing,^(U) rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. ²² When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give^(V) your daughters to them.’”

²³ So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing,^(W) each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance^(X) and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.^(Y)

²⁴ At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

²⁵ In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.^(Z)

Psalm 116

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire^(A) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous^(B) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³ Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.^{(C) 4} Christ is the culmination of the law^(D) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.^(E)

⁵ Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{[a](F) 6} But the righteousness that is by faith^(G) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[b](H) (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”^[c](I) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).^{(J) 8} But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[d](K) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare^(L) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^(M) and believe^(N) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,^(O) you will be saved.^{(P) 10} For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{[e](Q) 12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile^(R)—the same Lord is Lord of all^(S) and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^(T) will be saved.”^[f](U)

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^[g](V)

¹⁶ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.^(W) For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”^{[h](X) 17} Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,^(Y) and the message is heard through the word about Christ.^{(Z) 18} But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

¹⁹ Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

²⁰ And Isaiah boldly says,

²¹ But concerning Israel he says,