Judges 21
Lexham English Bible
A Decision Is Made About the Tribe of Benjamin
21 The men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.” 2 And the people of Bethel came and sat there until evening before God, and they lifted their voices and wept bitterly.[a] 3 And they said, “Why, Yahweh, God of Israel, has it happened today in Israel that one tribe is lacking from Israel?” 4 On the next day the people rose early, and they built there an altar and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5 And the Israelites[b] said, “Who in the assembly has not come up from all the tribes of Israel to Yahweh?” For a solemn oath was taken concerning whoever did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah, saying, “He will certainly be put to death.” 6 But the Israelites[c] had compassion for Benjamin, their relatives,[d] and they said, “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel. 7 What will we do for them—for the ones being left over—for wives? For we have sworn by Yahweh not to give to them our daughters as wives.”
8 They asked, “Which one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?” And behold, no one came from Jabesh-gilead to the camp, to the assembly. 9 The people were counted, and no one was there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead. 10 And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men from the troops, and they commanded them, saying, “Go, strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword,[e] and the women and children. 11 This is the thing you will do: you will destroy[f] every man and every woman who had sex with a man.”[g] 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins[h] who had not had sex with a man,[i] and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13 Then the congregation sent and spoke all this to the descendants[j] of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they assured them they would not be hurt.[k] 14 And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave to them the women whom they kept alive from Jabesh-gilead; but they were not enough for them.
15 And the people felt sorry for Benjamin because Yahweh weakened the tribes of Israel.[l] 16 So the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do for the remaining ones for wives, since the women from Benjamin have been destroyed?” 17 And they said, “There must be a remnant for Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. 18 But we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” (For the Israelites[m] swore, saying, “Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.”) 19 And they said, “Look, the annual feast of Yahweh is in Shiloh, which is to the north of Bethel, east[n] of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah. 20 They instructed the descendants[o] of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in ambush in the vineyards, 21 and watch and look; when the daughters of Shiloh dance in the dances, come out from the vineyards and seize for yourselves a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 And if their fathers or their brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Allow us to have them, because we did not capture a wife for each man in the battle, and because you did not give them to them, or else[p] you would have been guilty.’” 23 The descendants[q] of Benjamin did likewise, and they took wives for each of them from the dancers whom they seized, and they went and returned to their territory, and they rebuilt the cities and they lived in them. 24 So the Israelites[r] dispersed from there at that time according to tribe and family; and they went out from there, each one to their own territory. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did what was right in his own eyes.
Footnotes
- Judges 21:2 Literally “they cried a great weeping”
- Judges 21:5 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 21:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 21:6 Hebrew “his brother”
- Judges 21:10 Literally “the mouth of the sword”
- Judges 21:11 Literally “you will devote to destruction”
- Judges 21:11 Literally “every woman who knows the bed of a man”
- Judges 21:12 Hebrew “virgin”
- Judges 21:12 Literally “known a man, as far as the bed of a male”
- Judges 21:13 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 21:13 Literally “they proclaimed peace to them”
- Judges 21:15 Literally “Yahweh make a breach with the tribes of Israel”
- Judges 21:18 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 21:19 Literally “rising of the sun”
- Judges 21:20 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 21:22 Literally “as the time”
- Judges 21:23 Or “sons/children”
- Judges 21:24 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
Judges 21
American Standard Version
21 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. 2 And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore. 3 And they said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel? 4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. 5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9 For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 11 And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall [a]utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13 And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them. 14 And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. 15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? 17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel. 18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 19 And they said, Behold, there is [b]a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20 And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 21 and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the 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. 22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to [c]complain unto us, that we will say unto them, Grant them [d]graciously unto us, because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did ye give them unto them, else would ye now be guilty. 23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 24 And 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.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Footnotes
- Judges 21:11 Hebrew devote.
- Judges 21:19 Or, the feast
- Judges 21:22 Or, strive with us
- Judges 21:22 Or, as a gift
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