| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.” | 1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “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, | 2So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up 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“Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!” |
| 4So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. | 4The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace 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.” | 5The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death. |
| 6And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel today. | 6And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel. |
| 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?” | 7What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them 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. | 8So they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?” And, in fact, 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 the people were counted, none of the residents 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 congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including 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.” | 11This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.” |
| 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. | 12So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of 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 congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were 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. | 14And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women 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 void 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?” | 16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” |
| 17And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel. | 17They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, 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.’ ” | 18But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he 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.” | 19“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up 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 commanded the Benjamites: “Go, 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 you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go 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 come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’ ” |
| 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. | 23The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, 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. | 24And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, 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 there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. |
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