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The Book of Judges

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

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- Chapter 21 -

1
Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
2
So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly.
3
“Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”
4
The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5
The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.
6
And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel.
7
What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”
8
So they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?” And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.
9
For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there.
10
So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children.
11
This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction (a) every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.”
12
So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13
Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon.
14
And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.
15
The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
16
Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
17
They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
18
But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”
19
“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
20
So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards
21
and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22
When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’”
23
The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them.
24
And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance.
25
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Footnotes

(a)21:11 Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
1
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”
2
The people came to Bethel and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.
3
They said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?”
4
On the next day, the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5
The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who didn’t come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”
6
The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.
7
How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”
8
They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to the LORD to Mizpah?” Behold, no one came from Jabesh Gilead to the camp to the assembly.
9
For when the people were counted, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.
10
The congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.
11
This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”
12
They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13
The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
14
Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.
15
The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16
Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”
17
They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
18
However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”
19
They said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”
20
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 out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22
It shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we didn’t take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them; otherwise you would now be guilty.’”
23
The children of Benjamin did so, and took wives for themselves according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them.
24
The children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they each went out from there to his own inheritance.
25
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.
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