Judges 21 ISV NIV Parallel

◄ Judges 21 ►

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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!"

1The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: "Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite."

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

2The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly.

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

3"LORD, God of Israel," they cried, "why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?"

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

4Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

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."

5Then 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.

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

6Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. "Today one tribe is cut off from Israel," they said.

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?"

7"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?"

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,

8Then 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.

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

9For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.

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.

10So 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.

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

11"This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin."

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.

12They 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.

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.

13Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.

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.

14So 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.

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

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

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?"

16And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left?

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.

17The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.

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!'"

18We 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.'

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…"

19But 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."

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

20So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards

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.

21and 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.

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.'"

22When 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.'"

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.

23So 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.

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.

24At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

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

25In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

New International Version (NIV)

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