Judges 21

Wives Provided for the Tribe of Benjamin

1 Now the men of Israel had sworn k at Mizpah, "No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin." 2 And the people came to l Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. 3 And they said, "O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?" 4 And the next day the people rose early and m built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 And the people of Israel said, "Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the Lord?" n 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." 6 And the people of Israel o had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel this day. 7 p What 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?"

8 And 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 q Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly. 9 For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of q Jabesh-gilead was there. 10 So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, r "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones. 11 This is what you shall do: s every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction." 12 And 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 t Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the u rock of Rimmon and v proclaimed peace to them. 14 And 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. 15 And the people w had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

16 Then the elders of the congregation said, x "What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?" 17 And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. 18 Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters." y For the people of Israel had sworn, "Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin." 19 So they said, "Behold, there is the yearly feast of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of z the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah." 20 And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards 21 and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to a 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. 22 And 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.'" 23 And 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 b and rebuilt the towns and lived in them. 24 And 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.

25 c In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

  1. Cross References
    Judges 21:18
    Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters." For the people of Israel had sworn, "Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
    Judges 20:1
    Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.
  2. Cross References
    Judges 20:18
    The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, "Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?" And the Lord said, "Judah shall go up first.
    Judges 20:26
    Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
    Judges 20:31
    And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.
  3. Cross References
    2 Samuel 24:25
    And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
  4. Cross References
    Judges 5:23
    Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord, curse its inhabitants thoroughly, because they did not come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
  5. Cross References
    Judges 21:15
    And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
  6. Cross References
    Judges 21:16
    Then 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?
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 11:1
    Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.
    1 Samuel 31:11 - 13
    But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.
  8. Cross References
    Judges 21:8
    And 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.
  9. Cross References
    Judges 21:5
    And 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.
  10. Cross References
    Numbers 31:17
    Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
  11. Cross References
    Joshua 18:1
    Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.
  12. Cross References
    Judges 20:47
    But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.
  13. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 20:10
    When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it.
  14. Cross References
    Judges 21:6
    And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel this day.
  15. Cross References
    Judges 21:7
    What 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?
  16. Cross References
    Judges 21:1
    Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, "No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.
  17. Cross References
    Judges 20:31
    And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.
  18. Cross References
    Judges 11:34
    Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
    Exodus 15:20
    Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.
  19. Cross References
    Judges 20:48
    And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.
  20. Cross References
    Judges 17:6
    In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
    Judges 18:1
    In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.
    Judges 19:1
    In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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