Judges 21
21Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, "None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin in marriage."H376H3478H7650H4709H559H376H5414H1323H1144H8022So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.H5971H935H1004H430H1008H3427H6153H6440H430H5375H6963H1058H1065H14193And they said, "Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be [missing] today in Israel?"H559H3068H430H3478H3478H3117H259H7626H6485H34784And it came about the next day that the people arose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.H4283H5971H7925H1129H4196H5927H5930H80025Then 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."H1121H3478H559H7626H3478H834H5927H6951H3068H1419H7621H5927H3068H4709H559H4191H41916And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel today.H1121H3478H5162H1144H251H559H259H7626H1438H3478H31177"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?"H6213H802H3498H7650H3068H5414H1323H8028And 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.H559H259H7626H3478H5927H4709H3068H935H376H4264H3003H1568H69519For when the people were numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.H5971H6485H376H3427H3003H156810And the congregation sent 120000 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.H5712H7971H8147H6240H505H376H1121H2428H6680H559H3212H5221H3427H3003H1568H6310H2719H802H294511"And this is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every man and every woman who has lain with a man."H1697H6213H2763H2145H802H4904H304512And 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.H4672H3427H3003H1568H702H3967H5291H1330H3045H376H4904H2145H935H4264H7887H776H366713Then the whole congregation sent [word] and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.H5712H7971H1696H1121H1144H5553H7417H7121H796514And Benjamin 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.H1144H7725H6256H5414H802H2421H802H3003H1568H467215And the people were sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.H5971H5162H1144H3068H6213H6556H7626H347816Then 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?"H2205H5712H559H6213H802H3498H802H8045H114417And they said, "[There must be] an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be blotted out from Israel.H559H3425H6413H1144H7626H4229H347818"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."H3201H5414H802H1323H1121H3478H7650H559H779H5414H802H114419So 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."H559H2282H3068H7887H3117H3117H6828H1008H4217H8121H4546H5927H1008H7927H5045H382920And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,H6680H1121H1144H559H3212H693H375421and 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.H7200H1323H7887H3318H2342H4246H3318H3754H2414H376H802H1323H7887H1980H776H114422"And 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.'"H1H251H935H7378H559H2603H3947H376H802H4421H5414H6256H81623And the 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.H1121H1144H6213H5375H802H4557H2342H1497H3212H7725H5159H1129H5892H342724And the 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.H1121H3478H1980H6256H376H7626H4940H3318H376H515925In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.H3117H4428H3478H376H6213H3477H5869
New American Standard Bible (NASB). Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
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