Judges 21 Parallel Bible Translations

Judges 21 ▼
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Brenton Septuagint Translation
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1 Now the children of Israel swore in Massephath, saying, No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife. 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 And the people came to Baethel, and sat there until evening before God: and they lifted up their voice and wept with a great weeping; 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 and said, Wherefore, O Lord God of Israel, has this come to pass, that to-day one tribe should be counted as missing from Israel? 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 And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose up early, and built there an altar, and offered up whole-burnt-offerings and peace offerings. 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 And the children of Israel said, Who of all the tribes of Israel, went not up in the congregation to the Lord? for there was a great oath concerning those who went not up to the Lord to Massephath, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 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 And the children of Israel relented toward Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day one tribe is cut off 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 What shall we do for wives for the rest that remain? whereas we have sworn by the Lord, not to give them of our daughters for 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 And they said, What one man is there of the tribes of Israel, who went not up to the Lord to Massephath? and, behold, no man came to the camp from Jabis Galaad to the assembly. 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 And the people were numbered, and there was not there a man from the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad. 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 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the strongest, and they charged them, saying, Go ye and smite the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad with the edge of the sword. 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 And this shall ye do: every male and every woman that has known the lying with man ye shall devote to destruction , but the virgins ye shall save alive: and they did so. 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 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to Selom in the land of Chanaan. 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 And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin in the rock Remmon, and invited them to make peace. 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 And Benjamin returned to the children of Israel at that time, and the children of Israel gave them the women whom they had save alive of the daughters of Jabis Galaad; and they were content. 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 And the people relented for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 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 And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin. 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 And they said, There must be an inheritance of them that are escaped of Benjamin; and so a tribe shall not be destroyed out of Israel. 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 For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore among the children of Israel, saying, Cursed is he that gives a wife to Benjamin. 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 And they said, Lo! now there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in Selom, which is on the north of Baethel, eastward on the way that goes up from Baethel to Sychem, and from the south of Lebona. 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 And they charged the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait 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 ye shall see; and lo! if there come out the daughters of the inhabitants of Selom to dance in dances, then shall ye go out of the vineyards and seize for yourselves every man a wife of the daughters of Selom, and go ye into 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 And it shall come to pass, when their fathers or their brethren come to dispute with us, that we will say to them, Grant them freely to us, for we have not taken every man his wife in the battle: because ye did not give to them according to the occasion, ye transgressed. 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 And the children of Benjamin did so; and they took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they seized: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 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 And the children of Israel went thence at that time every man to his tribe and his kindred; and they went thence every man to his inheritance. 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 And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own sight. 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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