Judges 21 NKJV NIV Parallel

◄ Judges 21 ►

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1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”

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

2Then the people came to the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly,

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

3and said, “O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?”

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

4So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

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

5The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”

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.

6And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “One tribe is cut off 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 shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them our daughters as wives?”

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?"

8And they said, “What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Mizpah to the LORD?” And, in fact, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.

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.

9For when the people were counted, indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there.

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

10So the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children.

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.

11And this is the thing that you shall do: You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man intimately.”

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

12So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man intimately; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land 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 whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them.

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

14So Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found 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.

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

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

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

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

17And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel.

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

18However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who gives a wife to 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.'

19Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

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."

20Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,

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

21and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land 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.

22Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.’ ”

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.'"

23And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.

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.

24So the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance.

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

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; everyone did as they saw fit.

New International Version (NIV)

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