Judges 21:11 - Prayer Tents



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Judges 21
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21Back at Mizpah the men of Israel had taken an oath: "No man among us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage."H376H3478H7650H4709H559H376H5414H1323H1144H802 2Now, back in Bethel, the people sat in the presence of God until evening. They cried loudly; there was widespread lamentation.H5971H935H1004H430H1008H3427H6153H6440H430H5375H6963H1058H1065H1419 3They said, "Why, O GOD, God of Israel, has this happened? Why do we find ourselves today missing one whole tribe from Israel?"H559H3068H430H3478H3478H3117H259H7626H6485H3478 4Early the next morning, the people got busy and built an altar. They sacrificed Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings.H4283H5971H7925H1129H4196H5927H5930H8002 5Then the Israelites said, "Who from all the tribes of Israel didn't show up as we gathered in the presence of GOD?" For they had all taken a sacred oath that anyone who had not gathered in the presence of GOD at Mizpah had to be put to death.H1121H3478H559H7626H3478H834H5927H6951H3068H1419H7621H5927H3068H4709H559H4191H4191 6But the People of Israel were feeling sorry for Benjamin, their brothers. They said, "Today, one tribe is cut off from Israel.H1121H3478H5162H1144H251H559H259H7626H1438H3478H3117 7How can we get wives for those who are left? We have sworn by GOD not to give any of our daughters to them in marriage."H6213H802H3498H7650H3068H5414H1323H802 8They said, "Which one of the tribes of Israel didn't gather before GOD at Mizpah?" It turned out that no one had come to the gathering from Jabesh Gilead.H559H259H7626H3478H5927H4709H3068H935H376H4264H3003H1568H6951 9When they took a roll call of the people, not a single person from Jabesh Gilead was there.H5971H6485H376H3427H3003H1568 10So the congregation sent twelve divisions of their top men there with the command, "Kill everyone of Jabesh Gilead, including women and children.H5712H7971H8147H6240H505H376H1121H2428H6680H559H3212H5221H3427H3003H1568H6310H2719H802H2945 11These are your instructions: Every man and woman who has had sexual intercourse you must kill. But keep the virgins alive." And that's what they did.H1697H6213H2763H2145H802H4904H3045 12And they found 400 virgins among those who lived in Jabesh Gilead; they had never had sexual intercourse with a man. And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.H4672H3427H3003H1568H702H3967H5291H1330H3045H376H4904H2145H935H4264H7887H776H3667 13Then the congregation sent word to the Benjaminites who were at the Rimmon Rock and offered them peace.H5712H7971H1696H1121H1144H5553H7417H7121H7965 14And Benjamin came. They gave them the women they had let live at Jabesh Gilead. But even then, there weren't enough for all the men.H1144H7725H6256H5414H802H2421H802H3003H1568H4672 15The people felt bad for Benjamin; GOD had left out Benjamin—the missing piece from the Israelite tribes.H5971H5162H1144H3068H6213H6556H7626H3478 16The elders of the congregation said, "How can we get wives for the rest of the men, since all the Benjaminite women have been killed?H2205H5712H559H6213H802H3498H802H8045H1144 17How can we keep the inheritance alive for the Benjaminite survivors? How can we prevent an entire tribe from extinction?H559H3425H6413H1144H7626H4229H3478 18We certainly can't give our own daughters to them as wives." (Remember, the Israelites had taken the oath: "Cursed is anyone who provides a wife to Benjamin.")H3201H5414H802H1323H1121H3478H7650H559H779H5414H802H1144 19Then they said, "There is that festival of GOD held every year in Shiloh. It's north of Bethel, just east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and a little south of Lebonah."H559H2282H3068H7887H3117H3117H6828H1008H4217H8121H4546H5927H1008H7927H5045H3829 20So they told the Benjaminites, "Go and hide in the vineyards.H6680H1121H1144H559H3212H693H3754 21Stay alert—when you see the Shiloh girls come out to dance the dances, run out of the vineyards, grab one of the Shiloh girls for your wife, and then hightail it back to the country of Benjamin.H7200H1323H7887H3318H2342H4246H3318H3754H2414H376H802H1323H7887H1980H776H1144 22When their fathers or brothers come to lay charges against us, we'll tell them, 'We did them a favor. After all we didn't go to war and kill to get wives for men. And it wasn't as if you were in on it by giving consent. But if you keep this up, you will incur blame.'"H1H251H935H7378H559H2603H3947H376H802H4421H5414H6256H816 23And that's what the Benjaminites did: They carried off girls from the dance, wives enough for their number, got away, and went home to their inheritance. They rebuilt their towns and settled down.H1121H1144H6213H5375H802H4557H2342H1497H3212H7725H5159H1129H5892H3427 24From there the People of Israel dispersed, each man heading back to his own tribe and clan, each to his own plot of land.H1121H3478H1980H6256H376H7626H4940H3318H376H5159 25At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing.H3117H4428H3478H376H6213H3477H5869


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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