| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: "Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite." | 1The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, "Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite." |
| 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, weeping loudly and uncontrollably. |
| 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 happened in Israel?" An entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!" |
| 4Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. | 4The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and token of peace. |
| 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. | 5The Israelites asked, "Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled before the LORD?" They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble before the LORD at Mizpah must certainly be executed. |
| 6Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. "Today one tribe is cut off from Israel," they said. | 6The Israelites regretted what had happened to their brother Benjamin. They said, "Today we cut off an entire tribe from Israel! |
| 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?" | 7How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, we took an oath in the LORD's name not to give them our daughters as wives." |
| 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. | 8So they asked, "Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the LORD at Mizpah?" Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering. |
| 9For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there. | 9When they took roll call, they noticed none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were 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. | 10So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors against Jabesh Gilead. They commanded them, "Go and kill with your swords the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children. |
| 11"This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin." | 11Do this: exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has had sexual relations with a male. But spare the lives of any virgins." So they did as instructed. |
| 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. | 12They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young girls who were virgins--they had never had sexual relations with a male. They brought them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. |
| 13Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon. | 13The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed. |
| 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. | 14The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around. |
| 15The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. | 15The people regretted what had happened to Benjamin because the LORD had weakened the Israelite tribes. |
| 16And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? | 16The leaders of the assembly said, "How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out. |
| 17The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. | 17The remnant of Benjamin must be preserved. An entire Israelite tribe should not be wiped out. |
| 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.' | 18But we can't allow our daughters to marry them, for the Israelites took an oath, saying, 'Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!' |
| 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." | 19However, there is an annual festival to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel (east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem) and south of Lebonah." |
| 20So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards | 20So they commanded the Benjaminites, "Go hide 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 keep your eyes open. When you see the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration, jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home 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.'" | 22When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, we'll say to them, "Do us a favor and let them be, for we could not get each one a wife through battle. Don't worry about breaking your oath! You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.'" |
| 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 Benjaminites did as instructed. They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives. They went home to their own territory, rebuilt their cities, and settled down. |
| 24At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance. | 24Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property. |
| 25In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. | 25In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. |
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