Brides for Benjamin

21 The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah: “None of us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage.”^{(A) 2} So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God^(B) until evening. They wept loudly and bitterly, ³ and cried out, “Why, Lord God of Israel, has it occurred^[a] that one tribe is missing in Israel today?” ⁴ The next day the people got up early, built an altar there,^(C) and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. ⁵ The 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.

⁶ But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, “Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel. ⁷ What should we do about wives for the survivors? We’ve sworn to the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives.” ⁸ They 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. ⁹ For when the people were counted, no one was there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.

¹⁰ The congregation sent 12,000 brave warriors^[b] there and commanded them: “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword,^(D) including women and children. ¹¹ This is what you should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every female who has slept with a man.” ¹² They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young women, who had not had sexual relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

¹³ The whole congregation sent a message of peace^(E) to the Benjaminites who were at the rock of Rimmon. ¹⁴ Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them.

¹⁵ The people had compassion on Benjamin, because the Lord had made this gap in the tribes of Israel. ¹⁶ The elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” ¹⁷ They said, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. ¹⁸ But we can’t give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite is cursed.” ¹⁹ They also said, “Look, there’s an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh,^(F) which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

²⁰ Then they commanded the Benjaminites: “Go and hide in the vineyards. ²¹ Watch, and when you see the young women of Shiloh come out to perform the dances,^(G) 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. ²² When 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^[c] you are not guilty of breaking your oath.’”

²³ The 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,^(H) and lived in them. ²⁴ At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there to his own inheritance.

²⁵ In those days there was no king in Israel;^(I) everyone did whatever he wanted.^[d]

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then can we say that Abraham, our physical ancestor,^[a](A) has found? ² If Abraham was justified^[b] by works,^(B) he has something to brag about—but not before God.^{[c] 3} For what does the Scripture say?

⁴ Now to the one who works,^(D) pay is not considered as a gift, but as something owed. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be righteous,^[e](E) his faith is credited for righteousness.

David Celebrating the Same Truth

⁶ Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the man God credits righteousness to apart from works:

Abraham Justified before Circumcision

⁹ Is this blessing only for the circumcised,^(G) then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.^{(H)[g] 10} In what way then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. ¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision^(I) as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith^[h](J) while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father^(K) of all who believe^(L) but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. ¹² And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

The Promise Granted through Faith

¹³ For the promise to Abraham^(M) or to his descendants that he would inherit the world^(N) was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.^{[i] 14} If those who are of the law are heirs,^(O) faith is made empty and the promise is canceled. ¹⁵ For the law produces wrath.^(P) And where there is no law,^(Q) there is no transgression.

¹⁶ This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace,^(R) to guarantee it to all the descendants^(S)—not only to those who are of the law^[j] but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all ¹⁷ in God’s sight. As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations.^(T)[k] He believed in God, who gives life to the dead^(U) and calls^(V) things into existence that do not exist.^{(W) 18} He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations^(X)[l] according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.^{(Y)[m] 19} He considered^[n] his own body to be already dead^(Z) (since he was about 100 years old)^(AA) and also considered the deadness of Sarah’s womb,^(AB) without weakening in the faith. ²⁰ He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,^{(AC) 21} because he was fully convinced^(AD) that what He had promised He was also able to perform.^{(AE) 22} Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.^{(AF)[o] 23} Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone,^{(AG) 24} but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in Him^(AH) who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.^{(AI) 25} He was delivered up for^[p] our trespasses^(AJ) and raised for^[q] our justification.^[r](AK)