1 When the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, they had made a solemn promise to the Lord: “None of us will allow a Benjaminite to marry a daughter of ours.”
2 So now the people of Israel went to Bethel and sat there in the presence of God until evening. Loudly and bitterly they mourned:
3 “Lord God of Israel, why has this happened? Why is the tribe of Benjamin about to disappear from Israel?”
4 Early the next morning the people built an altar there, offered fellowship sacrifices and burnt some sacrifices whole.
5 They asked, “Is there any group out of all the tribes of Israel that did not go to the gathering in the Lord's presence at Mizpah?” (They had taken a solemn oath that anyone who had not gone to Mizpah would be put to death.)
6 The people of Israel felt sorry for their brothers the Benjaminites and said, “Today Israel has lost one of its tribes.
7 What shall we do to provide wives for the men of Benjamin who are left? We have made a solemn promise to the Lord that we will not give them any of our daughters.”