| Holman Christian Standard Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah: "None of us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage." | 1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, "None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin in marriage." |
| 2So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. They wept loudly and bitterly, | 2So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. |
| 3and cried out, "Why, LORD God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today?" | 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 offered burnt offerings and fellowship 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 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. | 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." |
| 6But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, "Today a tribe has been 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? We've sworn to the LORD not to give them any of our daughters as wives." | 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?" |
| 8They 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. | 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, no one was there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead. | 9For when the people were numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. |
| 10The congregation sent 12,000 brave warriors there and commanded them: "Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, 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 should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every female who has slept 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." |
| 12They 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. | 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. |
| 13The whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjaminites 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. |
| 14Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for 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 had compassion on Benjamin, because the LORD had made this gap in the tribes of Israel. | 15And the people were sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. |
| 16The elders of the congregation said, "What should we do about wives for those who are left, 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 said, "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 can't give them our daughters as wives." For the Israelites had sworn, "Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite is cursed." | 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." |
| 19They also said, "Look, there's an annual festival to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway 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." |
| 20Then they commanded the Benjaminites: "Go and hide in the vineyards. | 20And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, |
| 21Watch, and when you see the young women of Shiloh come out to perform the dances, 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. | 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 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 you are not guilty of breaking your oath.'" | 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 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, and lived 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. |
| 24At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there 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 whatever he wanted. | 25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. |
| Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | 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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