Judges 21
21
Israel’s Compassion for the Tribe of Benjamin
1The men of Israel had bound themselves by an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.” 2And then the people came to Bethel and sat until evening before God, and they raised their voice with groaning and great weeping. 3They said, “Yahweh, the true God of Israel, we have lost one of our own tribes today. Why has this happened to Israel?”
4When the next day dawned, the people got up early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5Then the Israelites asked one another, “Which tribe of Israel failed to appear in our assembly before Yahweh?” Under the terms of their solemn oath, whoever did not come before Yahweh at Mizpah should be put to death. 6Even so, the Israelites had compassion for their brothers of the tribe of Benjamin and were grieved deeply over their loss. They lamented, “One of our tribes has been eliminated from Israel this day. 7How can we provide wives for the few survivors since we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give any of our daughters as wives for them?”
8Then they inquired, “Were there any from the tribes of Israel who did not come up before Yahweh at Mizpah?” They found out that no one from Jabesh-Gilead had come to the assembly. 9When the roll was called among the people, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead was there. 10So the people sent twelve thousand soldiers with the command: “Go to the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead and kill them with the sword, including the women and children. 11This is what you are to do: exterminate every man and every woman who is not a virgin.” 12And they found four hundred unmarried young virgins among those living in Jabesh-Gilead. They seized them and brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13Then the whole congregation sent word to the Benjamites at Rimmon Rock and offered them peace. # 21:13 Or “proclaimed peace to them.” 14The Benjamites returned, and the Israelites presented the young women they had spared at Jabesh-Gilead. But they were not a sufficient number of wives for them all. # 21:14 Apparently, there were only four hundred wives for six hundred men (20:47).
15The people were remorseful and had compassion on the tribe of Benjamin because Yahweh had taken out a tribe of Israel. 16The elders of the tribes said, “Where are we to find wives for the survivors of Benjamin since there are no more women left in their tribe?” 17And they said, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin to prevent the tribe from being wiped out from Israel. 18Yet we cannot give them any of our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “A curse will rest on anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”
The Festival at Shiloh
19So they said, “Look, Yahweh’s yearly festival is taking place at Shiloh, just north of Bethel, and east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and a little south of Lebonah.” # 21:19 Some Jewish scholars believe the location described here was not Shiloh, but where the vineyards were. Lebonah is recognized as modern el-Lubban, about three miles northwest of Shiloh. 20And they instructed the Benjamites, “Go and hide in the vineyards. 21Watch for the young women of Shiloh to come out for their dances. When they come out of the vineyards, grab one of the young women of Shiloh to be your wife. Then go and live in your tribal land of Benjamin. 22If their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we’ll tell them, ‘Do us this favor, please. Grant us permission for the Benjamites to keep them as wives because in battle we didn’t seize them from you. And since you didn’t give them to us, you’re not guilty of breaking your oath.’ ”
23So the Benjamites took as many wives as there were men from among the dancers, and they carried them away. Then they returned to their own territory and rebuilt towns to live in. 24The Israelites dispersed by tribes and families, and they went out from there to their own territories.
25In those days, Israel had no king, and everyone did whatever they wanted to do.
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Judges 21: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationJudges 21
21
1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. 2And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore. 3And they said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day 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. 5And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto Jehovah 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. 7How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
8And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with 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. 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them. 14And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. 15And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that Jehovah 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? 17And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel. 18Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 19And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 21and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the 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. 22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain unto us, that we will say unto them, Grant them graciously unto us, because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did ye give them unto them, else would ye now be guilty. 23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt 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.
25In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
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