| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: "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." |
| 2The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising 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"LORD, God of Israel," they cried, "why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from 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?" |
| 4Early the next day the people built an altar and presented 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. |
| 5Then the Israelites asked, "Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the LORD?" For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah was to 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." |
| 6Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. "Today one tribe is cut off from Israel," they said. | 6And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel today. |
| 7"How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the LORD not to give them any of 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?" |
| 8Then they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah?" They discovered that 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 they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there. | 9For when the people were numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. |
| 10So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the 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. |
| 11"This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin." | 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 people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in 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 assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites 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. |
| 14So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough 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 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. |
| 16And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? | 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?" |
| 17The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "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. |
| 18We can't give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: 'Cursed be anyone 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." |
| 19But look, there is the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes 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 instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards | 20And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, |
| 21and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return 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 complain to us, we will say to them, 'Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.'" | 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.'" |
| 23So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns 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. |
| 24At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, 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 Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. | 25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | 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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