Judges 21:20

In context

18But we cannot give them our own daughters as wives,” for the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.” 19Then they said, “Look — there is a yearly festival of Yahweh in Shiloh, on the north side of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” 20So they instructed the Benjamites: “Go and hide in the vineyards, 21and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to dance in the celebration, come out from the vineyards, and each of you seize a wife from among the young women of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22When their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Be generous with them for our sake, since we did not get wives for all of them in the war. And since you did not actually give the women to them, you are not guilty.’”