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Judges 15-21
New American Standard Bible

Samson Burns Philistine Crops

15 But after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife (A)with a young goat, and said, “I will go in to my wife in her room.” But her father did not let him enter. 2 Her father said, “I really thought that you hated her intensely; so I (B)gave her to your companion. Is her younger sister not [a]more beautiful than she? Please let her be yours [b]instead.” 3 Samson then said to them, “This time I will have been blameless regarding the Philistines when I do them harm.” 4 And Samson went and caught three hundred jackals, and took torches, and turned the jackals tail to tail and put one torch in the middle between two tails. 5 When he had set fire to the torches, he released the jackals into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to both the bundled heaps and the standing grain, along with the vineyards and olive groves. 6 Then the Philistines said, “Who did this?” And some said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because [c]he took his wife and gave her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and (C)burned her and her father to death with fire. 7 Then Samson said to them, “If this is how you act, I will certainly take revenge on you, and only after that will I stop.” 8 So he struck them [d]ruthlessly with a great slaughter; and afterward he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

9 Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah, and spread out in Lehi. 10 So the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” And they said, “We have come up to bind Samson in order to do to him as he did to us.” 11 Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know (D)that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “Just as they did to me, so I have done to them.” 12 Then they said to him, “We have come down to bind you so that we may hand you over to the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not [e]kill me.” 13 So they said to [f]him, “No, but we will bind you tightly and give you into their hands; but we certainly will not kill you.” Then they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And (E)the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him so that the ropes that were on his arms were like flax that has burned with fire, and his restraints [g]dropped from his hands. 15 Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out with his hand and took it, and [h]killed (F)a thousand men with it. 16 And Samson said,

“With the jawbone of a donkey,
[i]Heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have [j]killed a thousand men.”

17 When he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place [k]Ramath-lehi. 18 Then he became very thirsty, and he (G)called to the Lord and said, “You have [l]handed this great [m]victory over to Your servant, and now [n]am I to die of thirst [o]and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came out of it. When he drank, (H)his [p]strength returned and he revived. Therefore he named it [q]En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. 20 So (I)he judged Israel for twenty years in (J)the days of the Philistines.

Samson’s Weakness

16 Now Samson went to (K)Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and had relations with her. 2 When it was reported to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they (L)surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, “Let’s wait until the morning light, then we will kill him.” 3 Now Samson lay asleep until midnight, and at midnight he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two doorposts, and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.

4 After this it came about that he was in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 So the (M)governors of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “(N)Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and [r]how we can overpower him so that we may bind him to humble him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and [s]how you can be bound to humble you.” 7 And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh [t]animal tendons that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the governors of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh [u]animal tendons that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had men prepared for an ambush in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he tore the tendons to pieces just like a thread of flax is torn apart when it [v]comes too close to fire. So his strength was not discovered.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have toyed with me and told me lies; now please tell me [w]how you may be bound.” 11 Then He said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes [x]which have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” For the men in the ambush were waiting in the inner room. But he tore [y]the ropes from his arms like thread.

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have toyed with me and told me lies; tell me [z]how you may be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my [aa]hair with the [ab]web [ac][and fasten it with the pin, then I will be weak like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven locks of his [ad]hair with the web]. And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.

Delilah Extracts His Secret

15 Then she said to him, “(O)How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have toyed with me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.” 16 And it came about, when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was [ae]annoyed to death. 17 So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a (P)Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent word and called the governors of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart.” Then the governors of the Philistines came up to her and brought up the money in their hands. 19 And she made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to humble him, and his strength left him. 20 She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that (Q)the Lord had departed from him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and restrained him with bronze chains, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22 However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.

23 Now the governors of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to (R)Dagon their god, and to celebrate, for they said,

“Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us.”

24 When the people saw him, (S)they praised their god, for they said,

“Our god has handed our enemy over to us,
Even the destroyer of our country,
Who has killed many of us.”

25 It so happened when [af]they were in high spirits, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he [ag]entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “[ah]Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women, and all the governors of the Philistines were there. And about three thousand men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was entertaining them.

Samson Is Avenged

28 (T)Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “Lord [ai]God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once (U)take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let [aj]me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed outwards powerfully, so that the house fell on the governors and all the people who were in it. And the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his lifetime. 31 Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. (V)So he had judged Israel for twenty years.

Micah’s Idolatry

17 Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. 2 And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse and also spoke it in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.” 3 He then returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I wholly consecrate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son (W)to make a carved image and a cast metal image; so now I will return [ak]them to you.” 4 So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith, who made [al]them into a carved image and a cast metal image, and [am]they were in the house of Micah. 5 And the man Micah had a [an](X)shrine and he made an (Y)ephod and [ao](Z)household idols, and [ap]consecrated one of his sons, (AA)so that he might become his priest. 6 In those days (AB)there was no king in Israel; (AC)everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

7 Now there was a young man from (AD)Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was [aq]staying there. 8 Then the man left the city, Bethlehem in Judah, to [ar]stay wherever he would find a place; and as he made his journey, he came to the (AE)hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah. 9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to [as]stay wherever I may find a place.” 10 Micah then said to him, “Stay with me and be (AF)a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a supply of clothing, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in. 11 The Levite agreed to live with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. 12 So Micah [at]consecrated the Levite, and the young man (AG)became his priest and [au]lived in the house of Micah. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as a priest.”

Danites Seek Territory

18 (AH)In those days there was no king of Israel; and (AI)in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day [av]an inheritance had not [aw]been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, [ax]valiant men from (AJ)Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it; and they said to them, “Go, explore the land.” And they came to (AK)the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and stayed overnight there. 3 When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned aside there and said to him, “Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?” 4 He said to them, “Micah has done this and that for me, and he has hired me and (AL)I have become his priest.” 5 Then they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be successful.” 6 And the priest said to them, “Go in peace; your way in which you are going [ay]has the Lord’s approval.”

7 So the five men departed and came to (AM)Laish, and saw the people who were in it living in security, in the way of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting; for there was no [az]oppressive ruler humiliating them for anything in the land, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 8 When they came back to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you say?” 9 And they said, “Arise, and let’s go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you [ba]sit still? Do not hesitate to go, to enter, to take possession of the land. 10 When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people with a spacious land; for God has handed it over to you, (AN)a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

11 Then from the family of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war set out. 12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Therefore they called that place [bb](AO)Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is [bc]west of Kiriath-jearim. 13 And they passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.

Danites Take Micah’s Idols

14 Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish [bd]said to their kinsmen, “Do you know that there are in these houses (AP)an ephod and [be]household idols, and a carved image and a cast metal image? Now then, consider what you should do.” 15 So they turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked [bf]him how he was doing. 16 Meanwhile, the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, were positioned at the entrance of the gate. 17 Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there; they took (AQ)the carved image, the ephod, the [bg]household idols, and the cast metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. 18 When these men entered Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, [bh]household idols, and the cast metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 And they said to him, “Be silent, (AR)put your hand over your mouth, and go with us, and be to us (AS)a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” 20 The priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the [bi]household idols, and the carved image, and went among the people.

21 Then they turned and left, and put the children, the livestock, and the valuables in front of them. 22 When they had distanced themselves from Micah’s house, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house assembled by command and overtook the sons of Dan. 23 Then they called out to the sons of Dan, who turned [bj]around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you have assembled together?” 24 And he said, “You have taken my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away; what more do I have? So how can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” 25 Then the sons of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, or else [bk]fierce men will attack you, and you will [bl]lose your life and the lives of your household.” 26 So the sons of Dan went on their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to (AT)Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. 28 And there was no one to save them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near (AU)Beth-rehob. So they rebuilt the city and lived in it. 29 And (AV)they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born to Israel; however, the name of the city was previously Laish. 30 The sons of Dan set up for themselves (AW)the carved image; and Jonathan, the son of (AX)Gershom, the son of [bm]Manasseh, (AY)he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 31 So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he had made, all the time that the (AZ)house of God was in Shiloh.

A Levite’s Concubine Raped and Killed

19 Now it came about in those days, when (BA)there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite [bn]staying in the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, who took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But his concubine [bo]found him repugnant, and she left him and went to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah, and remained there for a period of four months. 3 Then her husband set out and went after her to (BB)speak [bp]gently to her in order to bring her back, [bq]taking with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. And she brought him into her father’s house, and when the girl’s father saw him, he was glad to meet him. 4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, prevailed upon him, and he remained with him for three days. So they ate and drank and stayed there. 5 Now on the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he [br]prepared to go; but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “(BC)Strengthen [bs]yourself with a piece of bread, and afterward you may go.” 6 So both of them sat down and ate and drank together; and the girl’s father said to the man, “Please [bt]be so kind as to spend the night, and (BD)let your heart be cheerful.” 7 However, the man got up to go; but his father-in-law urged him, and he spent the night there again. 8 Now on the fifth day he got up to go early in the morning, but the girl’s father said, “Please strengthen [bu]yourself, and wait until [bv]late afternoon”; so both of them ate. 9 When the man got up to go, along with his concubine and servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Behold now, the day has drawn [bw]to a close; please spend the night. Behold, the day is [bx]coming to an end; spend the night here so that your heart may be cheerful. Then tomorrow you may arise early for your journey and go [by]home.”

10 But the man was unwilling to spend the night, so he got up and left, and came to a place opposite (BE)Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). And with him was a pair of saddled donkeys; his concubine also was with him. 11 When they were near Jebus, the day was almost gone; and (BF)the servant said to his master, “Please come, and let’s turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.” 12 However, his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners who are not of the sons of Israel; instead, we will go on as far as Gibeah.” 13 And he said to his servant, “Come, and let’s approach one of these places; and we will spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 14 So they passed along and went their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. 15 They turned aside there to enter and spend the night in Gibeah. When [bz]they entered, [ca]they sat down in the public square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night.

16 Then behold, an old man was coming out of the field from his work at evening. Now the man was from (BG)the hill country of Ephraim, and he was [cb]staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place (BH)were Benjaminites. 17 And he raised his eyes and saw the traveler in the public square of the city; and the old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?” 18 And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, for I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah. But I am now going to [cc]my house, and no one will take me into his house. 19 Yet there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, and [cd]your female slave, and (BI)the young man who is with your servants; there is no lack of anything.” 20 Then the old man said, “(BJ)Peace to you. Only let me take care of all your needs; however, do not spend the night in the public square.” 21 (BK)So he took him into his house and fed the donkeys, and they washed their feet and ate and drank.

22 While they were [ce]celebrating, behold, (BL)the men of the city, certain [cf](BM)worthless men, surrounded the house, pushing one another at the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who entered your house that we may [cg]have relations with him.” 23 Then the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, please do not act so wickedly. Since this man has come into my house, (BN)do not commit this vile sin. 24 (BO)Here is my virgin daughter and [ch]the man’s concubine. Please let me bring them out, then rape them and do to them [ci]whatever you wish. But do not commit this act of vile sin against this man.” 25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and brought her outside to them; and they [cj]raped her and abused her all night until morning, then let her go at the approach of dawn. 26 [ck]As the day began to dawn, the woman came and fell down at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was, until full daylight.

27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, then behold, his concubine was lying at the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold. 28 And he said to her, “Get up and let’s go,” (BP)but there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey; and the man set out and went to his [cl]home. 29 When he entered his house, he took a knife and seized his concubine, and (BQ)cut her in twelve pieces, limb by limb. Then he sent her throughout the territory of Israel. 30 All who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, [cm](BR)make a plan, and speak up!”

Resolve to Punish the Guilty

20 Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one person to the Lord at (BS)Mizpah. 2 And the [cn]leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot [co]soldiers (BT)who drew the sword. 3 (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this wickedness take place?” 4 So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. 5 But the [cp](BU)citizens of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night, [cq]threatening me. They intended to kill me; instead, they (BV)raped my concubine so that she died. 6 And I (BW)took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for (BX)they have committed an outrageous sin and vile act in Israel. 7 Behold, all you sons of Israel, (BY)give your [cr]response and advice here.”

8 Then all the people rose up as one person, saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us go home. 9 But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot. 10 And we will take ten men out of a hundred throughout the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand to [cs]supply provisions for the people, so that when they come to [ct]Gibeah of Benjamin, they may [cu]punish them for all the vile sin that they have committed in Israel.” 11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, [cv]united as one man.

12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire [cw]tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has taken place among you? 13 Now then, turn over the men, the [cx](BZ)worthless men who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and (CA)remove this wickedness from Israel.” But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. 14 Instead, the sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. 15 From the cities on that day the (CB)sons of Benjamin were [cy]counted, twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were [cz]counted, seven hundred choice men. 16 Out of all these people seven hundred (CC)choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17 Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were [da]counted, four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.

Civil War, Benjamin Defeated

18 Now the sons of Israel set out, went up to Bethel, and (CD)inquired of God and said, “Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” Then the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”

19 So the sons of Israel got up in the morning and camped against Gibeah. 20 The men of Israel went to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel lined up for battle against them at Gibeah. 21 Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and [db](CE)struck to the ground on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel. 22 But the people, the men of Israel, showed themselves courageous and lined up for battle again in the place where they had lined themselves up on the first day. 23 And (CF)the sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and (CG)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall we again advance for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”

24 So the sons of Israel [dc]came against the sons of Benjamin on the second day. 25 And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah the second day and struck to the ground again eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel; all of these drew the sword. 26 Then (CH)all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel, and they wept and remained there before the Lord, and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the sons of Israel (CI)inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it to minister in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I stop?” And the Lord said, “Go up, (CJ)for tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

29 (CK)So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. 30 And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and lined up against Gibeah as at other times. 31 (CL)When the sons of Benjamin went out against the people, they were lured away from the city, and they began to strike and kill some of the people as at other times, on the roads (one of which goes up to Bethel, and the other to Gibeah), and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the sons of Benjamin said, “They are defeated before us, like the first time.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let’s flee, so that we may draw them away from the city to the roads.” 33 Then all the men of Israel rose from their place and lined up at Baal-tamar; (CM)and the men of Israel in ambush charged from their place, from Maareh-geba. 34 When ten thousand choice men from all Israel came against Gibeah, the battle became [dd]fierce; (CN)but [de]Benjamin did not know that disaster was [df]close to them. 35 And the Lord struck Benjamin before Israel, so that the sons of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that [dg]day, all who drew the sword.

36 So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were [dh]defeated. (CO)When the men of Israel gave [di]ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, 37 (CP)the men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 38 Now the agreed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was (CQ)that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city. 39 Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, (CR)for they said, “Undoubtedly they are [dj]defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 40 But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked (CS)behind them; and behold, the entire city was going up in smoke to heaven. 41 Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that (CT)disaster was [dk]close to them. 42 Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel to flee in the (CU)direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who attacked from the cities were annihilating them in the midst of them. 43 (CV)They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest, and trampled them down opposite Gibeah toward the [dl]east. 44 So eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all of these were valiant men. 45 [dm]The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of (CW)Rimmon, but they [dn]caught five thousand of them on the roads and overtook them [do]at Gidom, and [dp]killed two thousand of them. 46 So all those of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were valiant men. 47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. 48 The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found.

Mourning a Lost Tribe

21 Now the men of Israel (CX)had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin [dq]in marriage.” 2 (CY)So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and raised their voices and wept [dr]profusely. 3 And they said, “Why, Lord, God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that one tribe is missing today from Israel?” 4 And it came about the next day that the people got up early and built (CZ)an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 Then 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 [ds]they had taken a solemn oath concerning anyone (DA)who did not go up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, “He shall certainly be put to death.” 6 And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin, and said, “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel! 7 What are we to do for wives for those who are left, since we have (DB)sworn by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives?”

Provision for Their Survival

8 And 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. 9 For when the people were [dt]counted, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. 10 And the congregation sent twelve thousand [du]of the valiant warriors there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and (DC)strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, along with the women and the children. 11 And this is the thing that you shall do: you (DD)shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has [dv]slept with a male.” 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man by [dw]sleeping with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were (DE)at the rock of Rimmon, and (DF)proclaimed peace to them. 14 And 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 [dx]were not enough for them. 15 And the people were sorry for Benjamin, because the Lord had created a gap in the tribes of Israel.

16 Then 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?” 17 And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be wiped out from Israel. 18 But we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the sons of Israel (DG)had sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin!”

19 So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in (DH)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.” 20 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 21 and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to [dy](DI)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. 22 And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we shall say to them, ‘[dz]Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin [ea]a wife in battle, [eb](DJ)nor did you give them to them, [ec]otherwise you would now be guilty.’” 23 The 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 (DK)rebuilt the cities and lived in them. 24 And 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.

25 (DL)In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 15:2 Lit better
  2. Judges 15:2 Lit instead of her
  3. Judges 15:6 I.e., the Timnite
  4. Judges 15:8 Lit thigh on loin
  5. Judges 15:12 Lit fall upon me yourselves
  6. Judges 15:13 Lit him, saying
  7. Judges 15:14 Lit melted
  8. Judges 15:15 Lit struck
  9. Judges 15:16 Lit Heap, two heaps; Heb is same root as donkey
  10. Judges 15:16 Lit struck
  11. Judges 15:17 I.e., the high place of the jawbone
  12. Judges 15:18 Or given...victory by the hand of Your
  13. Judges 15:18 Lit deliverance
  14. Judges 15:18 Or I shall...uncircumcised
  15. Judges 15:18 Or or
  16. Judges 15:19 Lit spirit
  17. Judges 15:19 I.e., the spring of him who called
  18. Judges 16:5 Lit by what
  19. Judges 16:6 Lit by what
  20. Judges 16:7 I.e., of a butchered animal, that shrink and hold when drying
  21. Judges 16:8 See note v 7
  22. Judges 16:9 Lit smells
  23. Judges 16:10 Lit by what
  24. Judges 16:11 Lit with which work has not been done
  25. Judges 16:12 Lit them
  26. Judges 16:13 Lit by what
  27. Judges 16:13 Lit head
  28. Judges 16:13 I.e., in weaving, the warp of a loom
  29. Judges 16:13 The passage in brackets is found in LXX but not in any Heb mss
  30. Judges 16:14 Lit head
  31. Judges 16:16 Lit impatient to the point of
  32. Judges 16:25 Lit their heart was pleasant
  33. Judges 16:25 Lit made sport before them
  34. Judges 16:26 Or Let go of me, and let me feel
  35. Judges 16:28 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  36. Judges 16:30 Lit my soul
  37. Judges 17:3 Lit it
  38. Judges 17:4 Lit it
  39. Judges 17:4 Lit it was
  40. Judges 17:5 Lit house of gods
  41. Judges 17:5 Heb teraphim
  42. Judges 17:5 Lit filled the hand of
  43. Judges 17:7 Or sojourning
  44. Judges 17:8 Or sojourn
  45. Judges 17:9 Or sojourn
  46. Judges 17:12 Lit filled the hand of
  47. Judges 17:12 Lit was
  48. Judges 18:1 Lit it
  49. Judges 18:1 Lit fallen
  50. Judges 18:2 Lit men, sons of valor
  51. Judges 18:6 Lit is before the Lord
  52. Judges 18:7 Or oppressive conqueror; lit possessor of oppression
  53. Judges 18:9 Lit be
  54. Judges 18:12 I.e., the camp of Dan
  55. Judges 18:12 Lit behind
  56. Judges 18:14 Lit answered and said
  57. Judges 18:14 Heb teraphim
  58. Judges 18:15 Lit his well-being
  59. Judges 18:17 Heb teraphim
  60. Judges 18:18 Heb teraphim
  61. Judges 18:20 Heb teraphim
  62. Judges 18:23 Lit their faces
  63. Judges 18:25 Lit bitter of soul
  64. Judges 18:25 Lit take away
  65. Judges 18:30 Some ancient versions Moses
  66. Judges 19:1 Or sojourning
  67. Judges 19:2 Or was unfaithful to him (a Hebrew homonym); LXX became angry at him
  68. Judges 19:3 Lit to her heart
  69. Judges 19:3 Lit and
  70. Judges 19:5 Lit arose
  71. Judges 19:5 Lit your heart
  72. Judges 19:6 Lit be willing to
  73. Judges 19:8 Lit your heart
  74. Judges 19:8 Lit the day declines
  75. Judges 19:9 Lit toward evening
  76. Judges 19:9 Lit declining
  77. Judges 19:9 Lit to your tent
  78. Judges 19:15 As in LXX; MT he
  79. Judges 19:15 As in LXX; MT he
  80. Judges 19:16 Or sojourning
  81. Judges 19:18 MT; LXX the house of the Lord, cf. v 29
  82. Judges 19:19 I.e., the concubine
  83. Judges 19:22 Lit making their hearts glad
  84. Judges 19:22 Lit sons of Belial
  85. Judges 19:22 Lit know him
  86. Judges 19:24 Lit his
  87. Judges 19:24 Lit the good in your eyes
  88. Judges 19:25 Lit knew her (carnally)
  89. Judges 19:26 Lit At the turning of the morning
  90. Judges 19:28 Lit place
  91. Judges 19:30 Or take counsel
  92. Judges 20:2 Lit cornerstones
  93. Judges 20:2 Lit men
  94. Judges 20:5 Or landowners
  95. Judges 20:5 Lit against me
  96. Judges 20:7 Lit word
  97. Judges 20:10 Lit take
  98. Judges 20:10 Heb Geba
  99. Judges 20:10 Lit do
  100. Judges 20:11 Lit companions as
  101. Judges 20:12 Lit tribes
  102. Judges 20:13 Lit sons of Belial
  103. Judges 20:15 Or mustered
  104. Judges 20:15 Or mustered
  105. Judges 20:17 Or mustered
  106. Judges 20:21 Lit destroyed
  107. Judges 20:24 Lit approached
  108. Judges 20:34 Lit heavy
  109. Judges 20:34 Lit they
  110. Judges 20:34 Lit touching
  111. Judges 20:35 Lit day; all these drew
  112. Judges 20:36 Lit struck
  113. Judges 20:36 Lit place
  114. Judges 20:39 Lit struck
  115. Judges 20:41 Lit touching
  116. Judges 20:43 Lit sunrise
  117. Judges 20:45 As in LXX; Heb And they
  118. Judges 20:45 Lit gleaned
  119. Judges 20:45 Lit as far as
  120. Judges 20:45 Lit struck
  121. Judges 21:1 Lit as a wife
  122. Judges 21:2 Lit with great weeping
  123. Judges 21:5 Lit there was a great oath
  124. Judges 21:9 Or mustered
  125. Judges 21:10 Lit men from the sons of valor
  126. Judges 21:11 Lit known the bed of
  127. Judges 21:12 Lit the bed of a male
  128. Judges 21:14 Lit did not find it so
  129. Judges 21:21 Lit dance
  130. Judges 21:22 Lit Favor us with them
  131. Judges 21:22 Lit his
  132. Judges 21:22 Lit because you did not
  133. Judges 21:22 Lit as
Listen to Judges 15-21
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Judges 15-21
New International Version

Samson’s Vengeance on the Philistines

15 Later on, at the time of wheat harvest,(A) Samson(B) took a young goat(C) and went to visit his wife. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room.”(D) But her father would not let him go in.

2 “I was so sure you hated her,” he said, “that I gave her to your companion.(E) Isn’t her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead.”

3 Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them.” 4 So he went out and caught three hundred foxes(F) and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch(G) to every pair of tails, 5 lit the torches(H) and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks(I) and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

6 When the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” they were told, “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion.(J)”

So the Philistines went up and burned her(K) and her father to death.(L) 7 Samson said to them, “Since you’ve acted like this, I swear that I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” 8 He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock(M) of Etam.(N)

9 The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi.(O) 10 The people of Judah asked, “Why have you come to fight us?”

“We have come to take Samson prisoner,” they answered, “to do to him as he did to us.”

11 Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us?(P) What have you done to us?”

He answered, “I merely did to them what they did to me.”

12 They said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”

Samson said, “Swear to me(Q) that you won’t kill me yourselves.”

13 “Agreed,” they answered. “We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes(R) and led him up from the rock. 14 As he approached Lehi,(S) the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.(T) The ropes on his arms became like charred flax,(U) and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.(V)

16 Then Samson said,

“With a donkey’s jawbone
    I have made donkeys of them.[a](W)
With a donkey’s jawbone
    I have killed a thousand men.”

17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.[b](X)

18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord,(Y) “You have given your servant this great victory.(Z) Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived.(AA) So the spring(AB) was called En Hakkore,[c] and it is still there in Lehi.

20 Samson led[d] Israel for twenty years(AC) in the days of the Philistines.

Samson and Delilah

16 One day Samson(AD) went to Gaza,(AE) where he saw a prostitute.(AF) He went in to spend the night with her. 2 The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate.(AG) They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn(AH) we’ll kill him.”

3 But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.(AI)

4 Some time later, he fell in love(AJ) with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.(AK) 5 The rulers of the Philistines(AL) went to her and said, “See if you can lure(AM) him into showing you the secret of his great strength(AN) and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels[e] of silver.”(AO)

6 So Delilah(AP) said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”

7 Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9 With men hidden in the room,(AQ) she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”(AR) But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me;(AS) you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.”

11 He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes(AT) that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”(AU) But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

13 Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”

He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14 and[f] tightened it with the pin.

Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”(AV) He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’(AW) when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time(AX) you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.(AY)” 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

17 So he told her everything.(AZ) “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite(BA) dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines(BB), “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.(BC) 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.[g] And his strength left him.(BD)

20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”(BE)

He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.(BF)

21 Then the Philistines(BG) seized him, gouged out his eyes(BH) and took him down to Gaza.(BI) Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain(BJ) in the prison. 22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

The Death of Samson

23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon(BK) their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god,(BL) saying,

“Our god has delivered our enemy
    into our hands,(BM)
the one who laid waste our land
    and multiplied our slain.”

25 While they were in high spirits,(BN) they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.

When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof(BO) were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord,(BP) “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge(BQ) on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

31 Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah(BR) his father. He had led[h](BS) Israel twenty years.(BT)

Micah’s Idols

17 Now a man named Micah(BU) from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels[i] of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”

Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you,(BV) my son!”

3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver.(BW) I will give it back to you.”

4 So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels[j] of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol.(BX) And it was put in Micah’s house.

5 Now this man Micah had a shrine,(BY) and he made an ephod(BZ) and some household gods(CA) and installed(CB) one of his sons as his priest.(CC) 6 In those days Israel had no king;(CD) everyone did as they saw fit.(CE)

7 A young Levite(CF) from Bethlehem in Judah,(CG) who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way[k] he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”

“I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,(CH)” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.”

10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father(CI) and priest,(CJ) and I’ll give you ten shekels[l] of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12 Then Micah installed(CK) the Levite, and the young man became his priest(CL) and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”(CM)

The Danites Settle in Laish

18 In those days Israel had no king.(CN)

And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.(CO) 2 So the Danites(CP) sent five of their leading men(CQ) from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out(CR) the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.”(CS)

So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah,(CT) where they spent the night. 3 When they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite;(CU) so they turned in there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.(CV)”

5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God(CW) to learn whether our journey will be successful.”

6 The priest answered them, “Go in peace(CX). Your journey has the Lord’s approval.”

7 So the five men(CY) left and came to Laish,(CZ) where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure.(DA) And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous.[m] Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians(DB) and had no relationship with anyone else.[n]

8 When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”

9 They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over.(DC) 10 When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing(DD) whatever.(DE)”

11 Then six hundred men(DF) of the Danites,(DG) armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim(DH) in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan[o](DI) to this day. 13 From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.(DJ)

14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish(DK) said to their fellow Danites, “Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod,(DL) some household gods and an image overlaid with silver?(DM) Now you know what to do.” 15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. 16 The six hundred Danites,(DN) armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods(DO) while the priest and the six hundred armed men(DP) stood at the entrance of the gate.

18 When the five men went into Micah’s house and took(DQ) the idol, the ephod and the household gods,(DR) the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

19 They answered him, “Be quiet!(DS) Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest.(DT) Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan(DU) in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” 20 The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. 21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.

22 When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. 23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?”

24 He replied, “You took(DV) the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’”

25 The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” 26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him,(DW) turned around and went back home.

27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure.(DX) They attacked them with the sword and burned(DY) down their city.(DZ) 28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon(EA) and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob.(EB)

The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. 29 They named it Dan(EC) after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish.(ED) 30 There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom,(EE) the son of Moses,[p] and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. 31 They continued to use the idol Micah had made,(EF) all the time the house of God(EG) was in Shiloh.(EH)

A Levite and His Concubine

19 In those days Israel had no king.

Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim(EI) took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.(EJ) 2 But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months, 3 her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents’ home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 4 His father-in-law, the woman’s father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking,(EK) and sleeping there.

5 On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself(EL) with something to eat; then you can go.” 6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman’s father said, “Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself.(EM)” 7 And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night. 8 On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman’s father said, “Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!” So the two of them ate together.

9 Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman’s father, said, “Now look, it’s almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home.” 10 But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus(EN) (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.

11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let’s stop at this city of the Jebusites(EO) and spend the night.”

12 His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 He added, “Come, let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah(EP) and spend the night in one of those places.” 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.(EQ) 15 There they stopped to spend the night.(ER) They went and sat in the city square,(ES) but no one took them in for the night.

16 That evening(ET) an old man from the hill country of Ephraim,(EU) who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”(EV)

18 He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord.[q](EW) No one has taken me in for the night. 19 We have both straw and fodder(EX) for our donkeys(EY) and bread and wine(EZ) for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”

20 “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.(FA)

22 While they were enjoying themselves,(FB) some of the wicked men(FC) of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.(FD)”

23 The owner of the house went outside(FE) and said to them, “No, my friends, don’t be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don’t do this outrageous thing.(FF) 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter,(FG) and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don’t do such an outrageous thing.”

25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her(FH) and abused her(FI) throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.

27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

29 When he reached home, he took a knife(FJ) and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel.(FK) 30 Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt.(FL) Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!(FM)”

The Israelites Punish the Benjamites

20 Then all Israel(FN) from Dan to Beersheba(FO) and from the land of Gilead came together as one(FP) and assembled(FQ) before the Lord in Mizpah.(FR) 2 The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, four hundred thousand men(FS) armed with swords. 3 (The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, “Tell us how this awful thing happened.”

4 So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, “I and my concubine came to Gibeah(FT) in Benjamin to spend the night.(FU) 5 During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me.(FV) They raped my concubine, and she died.(FW) 6 I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel’s inheritance,(FX) because they committed this lewd and outrageous act(FY) in Israel. 7 Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do.(FZ)”

8 All the men rose up together as one, saying, “None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. 9 But now this is what we’ll do to Gibeah: We’ll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots.(GA) 10 We’ll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah[r] in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel.” 11 So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city.(GB)

12 The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What about this awful crime that was committed among you?(GC) 13 Now turn those wicked men(GD) of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.(GE)”

But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. 14 From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. 15 At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred able young men from those living in Gibeah. 16 Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed,(GF) each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

17 Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.

18 The Israelites went up to Bethel[s](GG) and inquired of God.(GH) They said, “Who of us is to go up first(GI) to fight(GJ) against the Benjamites?”

The Lord replied, “Judah(GK) shall go first.”

19 The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. 20 The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. 21 The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites(GL) on the battlefield that day. 22 But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. 23 The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord(GM) until evening,(GN) and they inquired of the Lord.(GO) They said, “Shall we go up again to fight(GP) against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”

The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”

24 Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. 25 This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites,(GQ) all of them armed with swords.

26 Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord.(GR) They fasted(GS) that day until evening and presented burnt offerings(GT) and fellowship offerings(GU) to the Lord.(GV) 27 And the Israelites inquired of the Lord.(GW) (In those days the ark of the covenant of God(GX) was there, 28 with Phinehas son of Eleazar,(GY) the son of Aaron, ministering before it.)(GZ) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?”

The Lord responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.(HA)”

29 Then Israel set an ambush(HB) around Gibeah. 30 They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. 31 The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away(HC) from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads—the one leading to Bethel(HD) and the other to Gibeah. 32 While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,”(HE) the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”

33 All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place(HF) on the west[t] of Gibeah.[u] 34 Then ten thousand of Israel’s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize(HG) how near disaster was.(HH) 35 The Lord defeated Benjamin(HI) before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. 36 Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten.

Now the men of Israel had given way(HJ) before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush(HK) they had set near Gibeah. 37 Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword.(HL) 38 The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke(HM) from the city,(HN) 39 and then the Israelites would counterattack.

The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, “We are defeating them as in the first battle.”(HO) 40 But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke.(HP) 41 Then the Israelites counterattacked,(HQ) and the Benjamites were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come(HR) on them. 42 So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the towns cut them down there. 43 They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily[v] overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. 44 Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters.(HS) 45 As they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon,(HT) the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more.

46 On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite(HU) swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters. 47 But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. 48 The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire.(HV)

Wives for the Benjamites

21 The men of Israel had taken an oath(HW) at Mizpah:(HX) “Not one of us will give(HY) his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

2 The people went to Bethel,[w] where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing(HZ) from Israel today?”

4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.(IA)

5 Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel(IB) has failed to assemble before the Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death.

6 Now 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(IC) by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?” 8 Then 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(ID) had come to the camp for the assembly. 9 For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.

10 So 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(IE) and every woman who is not a virgin.(IF)” 12 They 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(IG) in Canaan.

13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace(IH) to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.(II) 14 So 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.

15 The people grieved for Benjamin,(IJ) because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.(IK) 18 We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath:(IL) ‘Cursed be anyone who gives(IM) a wife to a Benjamite.’ 19 But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh,(IN) which lies north of Bethel(IO), east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem,(IP) and south of Lebonah.”

20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing,(IQ) rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22 When 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(IR) your daughters to them.’”

23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing,(IS) each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance(IT) and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.(IU)

24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.(IV)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 15:16 Or made a heap or two; the Hebrew for donkey sounds like the Hebrew for heap.
  2. Judges 15:17 Ramath Lehi means jawbone hill.
  3. Judges 15:19 En Hakkore means caller’s spring.
  4. Judges 15:20 Traditionally judged
  5. Judges 16:5 That is, about 28 pounds or about 13 kilograms
  6. Judges 16:14 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew replied, “I can if you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom.” 14 So she
  7. Judges 16:19 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and he began to weaken
  8. Judges 16:31 Traditionally judged
  9. Judges 17:2 That is, about 28 pounds or about 13 kilograms
  10. Judges 17:4 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
  11. Judges 17:8 Or To carry on his profession
  12. Judges 17:10 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
  13. Judges 18:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  14. Judges 18:7 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts with the Arameans
  15. Judges 18:12 Mahaneh Dan means Dan’s camp.
  16. Judges 18:30 Many Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; many other Hebrew manuscripts and some other Septuagint manuscripts Manasseh
  17. Judges 19:18 Hebrew, Vulgate, Syriac and Targum; Septuagint going home
  18. Judges 20:10 One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts Geba, a variant of Gibeah
  19. Judges 20:18 Or to the house of God; also in verse 26
  20. Judges 20:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  21. Judges 20:33 Hebrew Geba, a variant of Gibeah
  22. Judges 20:43 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  23. Judges 21:2 Or to the house of God
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