| King James Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. | 1Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.” |
| 2And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; | 2And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. |
| 3And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel? | 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?” |
| 4And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. | 4And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. |
| 5And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. | 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.” |
| 6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. | 6And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel this day. |
| 7How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives? | 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?” |
| 8And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly. | 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. |
| 9For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there. | 9For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. |
| 10And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. | 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. |
| 11And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. | 11This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction.” |
| 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. | 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. |
| 13And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them. | 13Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them. |
| 14And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. | 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. |
| 15And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. | 15And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. |
| 16Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? | 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?” |
| 17And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. | 17And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. |
| 18Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. | 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.” |
| 19Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. | 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.” |
| 20Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; | 20And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards |
| 21And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. | 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. |
| 22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty. | 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.’” |
| 23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. | 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. |
| 24And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance. | 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. |
| 25In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. | 25In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. |
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