{"book":"Judges","slug":"judges","ch":21,"genre":"prose","sub":"Judges","prev":"judges/20","next":"ruth/1","verses":[{"v":1,"t":"Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying,“ Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”","f":[],"h":"Wives for the Benjamites","style":"reg"},{"v":2,"t":"So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":3,"t":"“ Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out,“ has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”","f":[]},{"v":4,"t":"The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":5,"t":"The 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.","f":[]},{"v":6,"t":"And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said,“ Today a tribe is cut off from Israel.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":7,"t":"What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”","f":[]},{"v":8,"t":"So 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.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":9,"t":"For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there.","f":[]},{"v":10,"t":"So 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.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":11,"t":"This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.”","f":["Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to the LORD, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering."]},{"v":12,"t":"So 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.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":13,"t":"Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":14,"t":"And 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.","f":[]},{"v":15,"t":"The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":16,"t":"Then the elders of the congregation said,“ What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":17,"t":"They added,“ There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.","f":[]},{"v":18,"t":"But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn,“ Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”","f":[],"lines":[{"style":"","t":"But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.”"},{"style":"reg","t":"For the Israelites had sworn,“ Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”"}],"style":"reg"},{"v":19,"t":"“ 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.”","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":20,"t":"So they commanded the Benjamites:“ Go, hide in the vineyards","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":21,"t":"and 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.","f":[]},{"v":22,"t":"When 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.’”","f":[]},{"v":23,"t":"The 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.","f":[],"style":"reg"},{"v":24,"t":"And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance.","f":[]},{"v":25,"t":"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did [what was] right in his own eyes.","f":[],"style":"reg"}]}