Judges 21

Wives Provided for the Tribe of Benjamin

1 Now a the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, "None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife." 2 Then the people came b to 1 the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly, 3 and said, "O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?" 4 So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and c built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 The children of Israel said, "Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the LORD?" d 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." 6 And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel today. 7 "What 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?"

8 And 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 e Jabesh Gilead to the assembly. 9 For when the people were counted, indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there. 10 So the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, f "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children. 11 "And this is the thing that you shall do: g You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man intimately." 12 So 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 h Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin i who were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them. 14 So 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. 15 And the people j grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.

16 Then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?" 17 And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel. 18 "However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, k for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, 'Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.' " 19 Then they said, "In fact, there is a yearly l feast of the LORD in m Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the n highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah." 20 Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, "Go, lie in wait in the vineyards, 21 "and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out o 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. 22 "Then 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.' " 23 And 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 p rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them. 24 So 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.

25 q In those days there was no king in Israel; r everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

  1. Cross References
    Judges 20:1
    So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
  2. Cross References
    Judges 20:18
    Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, "Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?" The LORD said, "Judah first!
    Judges 20:26
    Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
  3. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 12:5
    But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.
    2 Samuel 24:25
    And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.
  4. Cross References
    Judges 20:1 - 3
    So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
  5. Cross References
    1 Samuel 11:1
    Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.
    1 Samuel 31:11
    Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.
  6. Cross References
    Numbers 31:17
    Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.
    Judges 5:23
    'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD, 'Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the mighty.'
    1 Samuel 11:7
    So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen." And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.
  7. Cross References
    Numbers 31:17
    Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately.
    Deuteronomy 20:13
    And when the LORD your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword.
    Deuteronomy 20:14
    But the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall plunder for yourself; and you shall eat the enemies' plunder which the LORD your God gives you.
  8. Cross References
    Joshua 18:1
    Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them.
    Judges 18:31
    So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
  9. Cross References
    Judges 20:47
    But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months.
  10. Cross References
    Judges 21:6
    And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel today.
  11. Cross References
    Judges 11:35
    And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.
    Judges 21:1
    Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, "None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.
  12. Cross References
    Leviticus 23:2
    Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.
  13. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 12:5
    But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.
    Joshua 18:1
    Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them.
    Judges 18:31
    So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
    1 Samuel 1:3
    This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
  14. Cross References
    Judges 20:31
    So the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the other times, in the highways (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
  15. Cross References
    Exodus 15:20
    Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
    Judges 11:34
    When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
    1 Samuel 18:6
    Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
  16. Cross References
    Judges 20:48
    And the men of Israel turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them down with the edge of the sword - from every city, men and beasts, all who were found. They also set fire to all the cities they came to.
  17. 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 Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.
    Judges 19:1
    And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 12:8
    You shall not at all do as we are doing here today - every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes -
    Judges 17:6
    In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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