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