“Yahweh, God of Israel,” they said, “why has this happened in Israel, that today one tribe should be missing from Israel?”
In context
1Now the Israelites had sworn at Mizpah, “None of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.” 2The people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting their voices in bitter weeping. 3“Yahweh, God of Israel,” they said, “why has this happened in Israel, that today one tribe should be missing from Israel?” 4The next day the people rose early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5Then the Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to Yahweh?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up to Yahweh at Mizpah would surely be put to death.
