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Judges 21 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

Mourning Lost Tribe

Jdg 21:1

Jdg 21:1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin [fn]in marriage.”

Jdg 21:2

Jdg 21:2So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and lifted up their voices and wept [fn]bitterly.

Jdg 21:3

Jdg 21:3They said, “Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel?”

Jdg 21:4

Jdg 21:4It came about the next day that the people arose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

Jdg 21:5

Jdg 21:5Then the sons of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For [fn]they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”

Jdg 21:6

Jdg 21:6And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel today.

Jdg 21:7

Jdg 21:7“What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?”

Provision for Their Survival

Jdg 21:8

Jdg 21:8And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?” And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.

Jdg 21:9

Jdg 21:9For when the people were [fn]numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.

Jdg 21:10

Jdg 21:10And the congregation sent 12,000 of the valiant warriors there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.

Jdg 21:11

Jdg 21:11“This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every man and every woman who has [fn]lain with a man.”

Jdg 21:12

Jdg 21:12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with [fn]him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Jdg 21:13

Jdg 21:13Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.

Jdg 21:14

Jdg 21:14Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead; yet they [fn]were not enough for them.

Jdg 21:15

Jdg 21:15And the people were sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

Jdg 21:16

Jdg 21:16Then 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?”

Jdg 21:17

Jdg 21:17They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel.

Jdg 21:18

Jdg 21:18“But we cannot give them wives of our daughters.” For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”

Jdg 21:19

Jdg 21:19So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.”

Jdg 21:20

Jdg 21:20And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

Jdg 21:21

Jdg 21:21and watch; and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to [fn]take part in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

Jdg 21:22

Jdg 21:22“It shall come about, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we shall say to them, ‘Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man of Benjamin [fn]a wife in battle, [fn]nor did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’”

Jdg 21:23

Jdg 21:23The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they carried away. And they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and lived in them.

Jdg 21:24

Jdg 21:24The sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one of them went out from there to his inheritance.

Jdg 21:25

Jdg 21:25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
See the NASB95 Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NASB95 Footnotes
Literally: for a wife
Literally: with great weeping
Literally: there was a great oath
Or, mustered
Literally: known lying with
Literally: a male
Literally: did not find it so
Literally: dance
Literally: his
Literally: because
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