¹⁷ Some said, “Benjamin’s men who survived must be allowed to have families. No tribe of Israel should be wiped out. ¹⁸ However, we can’t give them any of our daughters as wives. The people of Israel have taken an oath that whoever gives wives to the men of Benjamin is under a curse.”

¹⁹ Others said, “Every year Yahweh’s festival is held at Shiloh. Shiloh is north of Bethel, east of the highway going from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”