Judges 21 | New International Reader’s Version

New International Reader’s Version

Wives for the men of Benjamin

1 The men of Israel had made a promise at Mizpah. They had said, ‘Not one of us will give his daughter to be married to a man from Benjamin.’ 2 The people went to Bethel. They sat there until evening in front of God. They wept loudly and bitterly. 3 ‘LORD, you are the God of Israel,’ they cried. ‘Why has this happened to Israel? Why is one tribe missing from Israel today?’ 4 Early the next day the people built an altar. They brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings. 5 Then the Israelites asked, ‘Has anyone failed to come here in front of the LORD? Is anyone missing from all the tribes of Israel?’ The people had made a promise. They had said that anyone who failed to come to Mizpah in front of the LORD must be put to death. 6 The Israelites were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. After all, they were their fellow Israelites. ‘Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel,’ they said. 7 ‘How can we provide wives for the men who are left? We’ve made a promise in front of the LORD. We’ve promised not to give any of our daughters to be married to them.’ 8 Then they asked, ‘Has any tribe of Israel failed to come here to Mizpah in front of the LORD?’ They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come. No one from there had gathered together with the others in the camp. 9 They counted the people. They found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead had come to Mizpah. 10 So the community sent 12,000 fighting men to Jabesh Gilead. They instructed them to take their swords and kill those living there. That included the women and children. 11 ‘Here is what you must do,’ they said. ‘Kill every male. Also kill every woman who is not a virgin.’ 12 They found 400 young women in Jabesh Gilead who had never slept with a man. So they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan. 13 Then the whole community sent an offer of peace to the men of Benjamin. The men were at the rock of Rimmon. 14 So the men of Benjamin returned at that time. They were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there weren’t enough women for all of them. 15 The people were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. The LORD had left a gap in the tribes of Israel. They weren’t complete without Benjamin. 16 The elders of the community spoke up. They said, ‘All the women of Benjamin have been wiped out. So how will we find wives for the men who are left? 17 The men of Benjamin who are still alive need to have children,’ they said. ‘If they don’t, a tribe of Israel will be wiped out. 18 But we can’t give them our daughters to be their wives. We Israelites have made a promise. We’ve said, “May anyone who gives a wife to a man from Benjamin be under the LORD’s curse.” 19 Look, a feast is celebrated every year in Shiloh to honour the LORD. Shiloh is north of Bethel. It’s east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. It’s south of Lebonah.’ 20 So they told the men of Benjamin what to do. They said, ‘Go. Hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. The young women of Shiloh will come out. They’ll join in the dancing. When they do, run out of the vineyards. Each of you grab a young woman from Shiloh to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22 Their fathers or brothers might not be happy with what we’re doing. If they aren’t, we’ll say to them, “Do us a favour. Help the men of Benjamin. We didn’t get wives for them during the battle. You aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. After all, you didn’t give your daughters to them. Your daughters were stolen from you.” ’ 23 So that’s what the men of Benjamin did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one. He carried her away to be his wife. Then the men returned to their own share of land. They built the towns again. They made their homes in them. 24 At that time the Israelites also left. They went home to their tribes and family groups. Each one went to his own share of land. 25 In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.

English Standard Version

Wives Provided for the Tribe of Benjamin

1 Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.” (Jud 20:1; Jud 21:18) 2 And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. (Jud 20:18; Jud 20:26; Jud 20:31) 3 And they said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?” 4 And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. (2Sa 24:25) 5 And the people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel 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 to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” (Jud 5:23) 6 And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel this day. (Jud 21:15) 7 What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them any of our daughters for wives?” (Jud 21:16) 8 And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah?” And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly. (1Sa 11:1; 1Sa 31:11) 9 For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. (Jud 21:8) 10 So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones. (Jud 21:5) 11 This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction.” (Nu 31:17) 12 And 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. (Jos 18:1) 13 Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them. (De 20:10; Jud 20:47) 14 And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them. 15 And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. (Jud 21:6) 16 Then 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?” (Jud 21:7) 17 And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. 18 Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the people of Israel had sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.” (Jud 21:1) 19 So they said, “Behold, there is the yearly feast of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” (Jud 20:31) 20 And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards 21 and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. (Ex 15:20; Jud 11:34) 22 And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’” 23 And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. Then they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and lived in them. (Jud 20:48) 24 And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Jud 17:6; Jud 18:1; Jud 19:1)