Judges 21 Parallel Bible Translations

Judges 21 ▼
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1 The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, |Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.| Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.” The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
2 So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably. And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly.
3 They said, |Why, O LORD God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?| An entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!| 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?” “LORD, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?”
4 The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and token of peace. And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
5 The 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. 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.” Then 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.
6 The Israelites regretted what had happened to their brother Benjamin. They said, |Today we cut off an entire tribe from Israel! And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel this day. Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said.
7 How 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.| 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?” “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?”
8 So 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. 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. Then 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.
9 When they took roll call, they noticed none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there. For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.
10 So 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. 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. So 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.
11 Do 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. This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction.” “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin.”
12 They 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. 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. They 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.
13 The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed. Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them. Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.
14 The 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. 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. So 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.
15 The people regretted what had happened to Benjamin because the LORD had weakened the Israelite tribes. And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a gap in the tribes of Israel.
16 The leaders of the assembly said, |How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out. 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?” And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left?
17 The remnant of Benjamin must be preserved. An entire Israelite tribe should not be wiped out. And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
18 But 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!' 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.” We 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.’
19 However, 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.| 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.” But 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.”
20 So they commanded the Benjaminites, |Go hide in the vineyards, And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards
21 and 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. 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. and 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.
22 When 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.'| 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.’” When 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.’”
23 The 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. 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. So 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.
24 Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property. 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. At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.
25 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
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