Judges 21:4-25
New American Standard Bible
5Then the sons of Israel said, 'Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not go up to the Lord in the assembly?' For they had taken a solemn oath concerning anyone who did not go up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, 'He shall certainly be put to death.'
6And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin, and said, 'Today one tribe is cut off from Israel!
7What are we to do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives?'
8And they said, 'What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not go up to the Lord at Mizpah?' And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
9For when the people were counted, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.
10And the congregation sent twelve thousand of the valiant warriors there, and commanded them, saying, 'Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, along with the women and the children.
11And this is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has slept with a male.'
12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man by sleeping with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
14And the tribe of Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had allowed to live from the women of Jabesh-gilead; but they were not enough for them.
15And the people were sorry for Benjamin, because the Lord had created a gap in the tribes of Israel.
16Then the elders of the congregation said, 'What are we to do for wives for those who are left, since the women have been eliminated from Benjamin?'
17And they said, 'There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be wiped out from Israel.
18But we cannot give them wives from our daughters.' For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, 'Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin!'
19So they said, 'Behold, there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.'
20And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, 'Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
21and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards, and each of you shall seize his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we shall say to them, ‘ Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin a wife in battle, nor did you give them to them, otherwise you would now be guilty.’?'
23The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they seized. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and rebuilt the cities and lived in them.
24And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one departed from there to his inheritance.
King James Version
Chapter 21
4And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters to wives? 8And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the Lord? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly. 9For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there. 10And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. 11And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.
14And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.
15And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
17And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
18Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
19Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.
23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
24And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.
25In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 21
4The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5The 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.
6But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, "Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7What should we do about wives for the survivors? We’ve sworn to the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives."
8They asked, "Which city among the tribes of Israel didn’t come to the Lord at Mizpah?" It turned out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp and the assembly.
9For when the roll was called, no men were there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.
10The congregation sent twelve thousand brave warriors there and commanded them: "Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, including women and dependents.
11This is what you should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every woman who has gone to bed with a man."
12They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, who had not gone to bed with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13The whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjaminites who were at Rimmon Rock.
14Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them.
15The people had compassion on Benjamin, because the Lord had made this gap in the tribes of Israel.
16The elders of the congregation said, "What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?"
17They said, "There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
18But we can’t give them our daughters as wives." For the Israelites had sworn, "Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite is cursed."
19They also said, "Look, there’s an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."
20Then they commanded the Benjaminites: "Go and hide in the vineyards.
21Watch, and when you see the young women of Shiloh come out to perform the dances, each of you leave the vineyards and catch a wife for yourself from the young women of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22When their fathers or brothers come to us and protest, we will tell them, ‘Show favor to them, since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the battle. You didn’t actually give the women to them, so you are not guilty of breaking your oath.’"
23The Benjaminites did this and took the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and lived in them.
24At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there to his own inheritance.
New Living Translation
Chapter 21
4Early the next morning the people built an altar and presented their burnt offerings and peace offerings on it. 5Then they said, 'Who among the tribes of Israel did not join us at Mizpah when we held our assembly in the presence of the Lord?' At that time they had taken a solemn oath in the Lord’s presence, vowing that anyone who refused to come would be put to death.
6The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, 'Today one of the tribes of Israel has been cut off.
7How can we find wives for the few who remain, since we have sworn by the Lord not to give them our daughters in marriage?'
8So they asked, 'Who among the tribes of Israel did not join us at Mizpah when we assembled in the presence of the Lord?' And they discovered that no one from Jabesh-gilead had attended the assembly.
9For after they counted all the people, no one from Jabesh-gilead was present.
10So the assembly sent 12,000 of their best warriors to Jabesh-gilead with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children.
11This is what you are to do,' they said. 'Completely destroy all the males and every woman who is not a virgin.'
12Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found 400 young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the remaining people of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon.
14Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the 400 women of Jabesh-gilead who had been spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them.
15The people felt sorry for Benjamin because the Lord had made this gap among the tribes of Israel.
16So the elders of the assembly asked, 'How can we find wives for the few who remain, since the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead?
17There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel is not wiped out.
18But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God’s curse.'
19Then they thought of the annual festival of the Lord held in Shiloh, south of Lebonah and north of Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.
20They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, 'Go and hide in the vineyards.
21When you see the young women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to the land of Benjamin to be your wife!
22And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, ‘Please be sympathetic. Let them have your daughters, for we didn’t find wives for all of them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not actually give your daughters to them in marriage.’'
English Standard Version
Chapter 21
4And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5And the people of Israel said, "Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the Lord?" For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah, saying, "He shall surely be put to death." 6And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel this day. 7What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them any of our daughters for wives?"
8And they said, "What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah?" And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly.
9For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.
10So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones.
11This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction."
12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them.
14And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them.
15And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16Then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?"
17And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
18Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters." For the people of Israel had sworn, "Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin."
19So they said, "Behold, there is the yearly feast of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."
20And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards
21and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’"
23And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. Then they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and lived in them.
24And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.
New International Version
6Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. "Today one tribe is cut off from Israel," they said.
7"How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?"
8Then they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?" They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.
9For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.
10So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children.
11"This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin."
12They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.
13Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.
14So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.
15The people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel.
16And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left?
17The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
18We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.’
19But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."
20So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards
21and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin.
22When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.’ "
New King James Version
Chapter 21
4So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the Lord?” For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” 6And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel today. 7What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters as wives?”
8And they said, “What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord?” And, in fact, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.
9For when the people were counted, indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there.
10So the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children.
11And this is the thing that you shall do: You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man intimately.”
12So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man intimately; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them.
14So Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found enough for them.
16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
17And they said, “ There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel.
18However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’ ”
19Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
20Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,
21and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin.
22Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.’ ”
23And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.
24So the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance.
