| Berean Study Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.” | 1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, "None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin in marriage." |
| 2So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly. | 2So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. |
| 3“Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!” | 3They said, "Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel?" |
| 4The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. | 4It came about the next day that the people arose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. |
| 5The 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. | 5Then the sons of Israel said, "Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up in the assembly to the LORD?" For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, "He shall surely be put to death." |
| 6And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel. | 6And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel today. |
| 7What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?” | 7"What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?" |
| 8So 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. | 8And they said, "What one is there of the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?" And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. |
| 9For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there. | 9For when the people were numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. |
| 10So 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. | 10And the congregation sent 12,000 of the valiant warriors 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. |
| 11This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.” | 11"This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every man and every woman who has lain with a man." |
| 12So 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. | 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. |
| 13Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon. | 13Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them. |
| 14And 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. | 14Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead; yet they were not enough for them. |
| 15The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel. | 15And the people were sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. |
| 16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” | 16Then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?" |
| 17They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. | 17They said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. |
| 18But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.” | 18"But we cannot give them wives of our daughters." For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, "Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin." |
| 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.” | 19So they said, "Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah." |
| 20So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards | 20And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, |
| 21and 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. | 21and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. |
| 22When 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.’ ” | 22"It shall come about, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we shall say to them, 'Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin a wife in battle, nor did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.'" |
| 23The 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. | 23The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they carried away. And they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and lived in them. |
| 24And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance. | 24The sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one of them went out from there to his inheritance. |
| 25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. | 25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. |
| The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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