Judges 21 BSB ISV Parallel

◄ Judges 21 ►

BSB Parallel ISV [BSB CSB ESV HCS KJV ISV NAS NET NIV NLT HEB]

Berean Study Bible

International Standard Version

1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

1Now the people of Israel had taken a vow in Mizpah that went like this: "Not even one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a descendant of Benjamin!"

2So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly.

2So the people went to Bethel, sat before God until dusk, where they cried out loud and wept bitterly.

3“Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”

3"Why, LORD God of Israel," they asked him, "is one tribe missing from Israel?"

4The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings.

4The next day, the people got up early, built an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.

5The Israelis asked themselves, "Who didn't come up in our assembly in the LORD's presence from among all of the tribes of Israel?" They had taken a solemn oath concerning those who didn't come up to meet with the LORD at Mizpah that "They will certainly be executed."

6And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel.

6But the Israelis were mourning for their relatives in the tribe of Benjamin. They announced, "One tribe has been eliminated from Israel today!

7What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”

7What can we do to find wives for the survivors who remain, since we've already taken an oath in the LORD's presence not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?"

8So they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?” And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.

8They asked, "What one group of the tribes of Israel didn't come up to meet the LORD at Mizpah?" It turned out that no one had come to the encampment from Jabesh-gilead,

9For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there.

9since when they took a census of the assembly, not even one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was in attendance.

10So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children.

10So the congregation sent out 12,000 of their valiant soldiers, issuing these orders to them: "Go and attack the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with swords, including the women and little ones.

11This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.”

11You're to completely destroy every man and every married woman."

12So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

12They discovered among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who hadn't had sex with a man, and they brought them to the encampment at Shiloh in the territory of Canaan.

13Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon.

13Then the entire congregation sent for the surviving descendants of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon and assured them that their intentions toward them were peaceful.

14And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.

14So the survivors of the tribe of Benjamin returned at that time, and the Israelis gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the raid on Jabesh-gilead. Even so, there weren't enough for them.

15The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.

15The people felt sorry for the tribe of Benjamin because the LORD had broken one of the tribes of Israel.

16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”

16So the elders of the congregation asked, "What will we do to obtain wives for the survivors, since the women of Benjamin have been devastated?"

17They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.

17They continued, "Let's make sure that there's an inheritance for the survivors of the tribe of Benjamin, so that a tribe won't be blotted out from Israel.

18But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”

18But we can't give them wives from our own daughters, since we've taken this vow: 'May the LORD curse anyone who gives his daughter as a wife to the tribe of Benjamin!'"

19“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

19So they concluded, "Look, there's a festival to the LORD every year in Shiloh on the north side of Bethel, south of Lebonah and on the east side of the highway that runs from Bethel to Shechem…"

20So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards

20So they told the descendants of Benjamin, "Go and hide in the vineyards.

21and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

21Watch when the unmarried women from Shiloh come out to participate in the dances. Then come out of the vineyards and each of you grab a wife from the unmarried women from Shiloh. Then go back home to the territory of Benjamin.

22When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’ ”

22If their fathers or brothers come complaining to us, we'll tell them 'Be generous! Give them to us voluntarily, because we didn't take anyone to be a wife for the men of the tribe of Benjamin as a result of the battle. And you haven't incurred guilt by giving your daughters to them.'"

23The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them.

23So the descendants of Benjamin did all of this: they chose and carried away just enough wives from those who danced to meet the number needed, then they left to return to their inheritance, to rebuild their cities, and to live there.

24And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance.

24The Israelis left there at that time, each man to his tribe and family, and each of them went down from there to his territorial allotment.

25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

25Back in those days, Israel didn't yet have a king, so each person did whatever seemed right in his own opinion.

Bible Hub