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Judges

Describes a time when Israel was ruled by judges and the cycle of turning away from God, facing trouble, and then returning to Him.

Chapter 21

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1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

*Now, the people of Israel promised in a place called Mizpeh that no one would marry their daughter to Benjamin.

2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

*The people went to God's house, stayed there until evening, sang loudly, and cried a lot.

3 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?

*The leader asked, "Dear Lord God of Israel, why is it happening in Israel that today one tribe doesn't have enough people?"

4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

*The next day, the people got up early and built an altar. They offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

*The children of Israel asked, "Which person from all the tribes didn't join the group going to meet God at Mizpeh?" They had taken a big promise that anyone who didn't go would be killed.

6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

*The Israelite kids felt sorry for their brother Benjamin and realized that a part of Israel was lost today.

7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

*How can we find wives for the remaining men since we promised the LORD not to give our daughters to them as wives?

8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.

*They asked, "Which tribe of Israel didn't come to Mizpeh to see the Lord?" They found out that no one from Jabeshgilead joined the group at the gathering.

9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

*The people counted, but no one from Jabeshgilead was present.

10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.

*The group sent 12,000 strong warriors to a place and told them to attack the people of Jabeshgilead, including women and children, using swords.

11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

*This means you must completely eliminate all males and any women who have had sexual relations with a man.

12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

*In Jabeshgilead, they discovered 400 young unmarried girls who hadn't been with any men. They took these girls to a place called Shiloh in the land of Canaan, where their camp was located.

13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.

*The entire group sent messengers to talk to the people of Benjamin hiding at Rock Rimmon and to ask for peaceful relations.

14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

*At that time, Benjamin returned, and they gave him wives from the surviving women of Jabeshgilead. However, these wives were not enough for them.

15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

*The people felt sorry for Benjamin because God created a division among the Israeli tribes.

16 Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

*Then the older people asked, "How can we find wives for the remaining men from Benjamin since so many women have been lost?"

17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

*They said, "There should be an inheritance for those who escaped from Benjamin so that a tribe doesn't get destroyed in Israel."

18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

*However, we cannot give our daughters to them; because the people of Israel have sworn, saying, Anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin is cursed.

19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

*Then they said, "Look, there is an annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh. It takes place at a location north of Bethel, east of the road going from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."

20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

*So they told the descendants of Benjamin, "Hide in the vineyards and wait."

21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

*If the girls from Shiloh start dancing, leave the vineyards and each man take a wife from those girls. Then go to the land of Benjamin.

22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.

*When their relatives come to us with complaints, we'll tell them to be kind. We didn't save every man's wife during the war because you didn't help then, so avoid guilt now.

23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

*The people from the tribe of Benjamin married the women they caught while dancing, and then they went back to their land. They fixed the cities and lived there happily.

24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

*The Israelites left that place at that time; each person went with their tribe and family to their land. They all went to their own inherited territory.

25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

*In those times, Israel didn't have a ruler. People did whatever they thought was right.

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