1 The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah: “None of us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage.”
2 So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. They wept loudly and bitterly,
3 and cried out, “Why, Lord God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today? ”
4 The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
5 The Israelites asked, “Who of all the tribes of Israel didn’t come to the Lord with the assembly? ” For a great oath had been taken that anyone who had not come to the Lord at Mizpah would certainly be put to death.
6 But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, “Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7 What should we do about wives for the survivors? We’ve sworn to the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives.”