Judges Chapter 21
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.
2
And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find
3
a place, and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
4
And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find
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a place.
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And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten
7
pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.
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And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.
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And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
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Then said Micah, Now know I that Jehovah will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
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In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day
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their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
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And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there.
14
When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
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And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hath hired me, and I am become his priest.
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And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.
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And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way wherein ye go.
18
Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was none in the land, possessing authority, that might put
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them to shame in anything, and they were far from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with any man.
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And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What
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say ye?
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And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land.
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When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and the land is large; for God hath given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth.
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And there set forth from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girt with weapons of war.
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And they went up, and encamped in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan, unto this day; behold, it is behind Kiriath-jearim.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to the Benjaminites as wife.
2
And the people came to Bethel, and abode there till even beforeGod, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly,
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and said, Jehovah,God of Israel, why is it come to pass in Israel, that there should be this day one tribe lacking in Israel?
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And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered up 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 to Jehovah? For they had [made] a great oath concerning him that came not up to Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall certainly be put to death.
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And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day is one tribe extirpated from Israel.
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What shall we do for wives for them that remain? since we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters for wives.
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And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpah to Jehovah? And behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead, to the congregation;
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for the people were numbered, and behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead there.
10
And the assembly sent thither twelve thousand men of the most valiant and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, and the women and the children.
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And this is the thing which ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain with man.
12
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women that were virgins, who had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them to the camp, to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
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And the whole assembly sent to speak to the children of Benjamin that were at the cliff of Rimmon, and to proclaim peace to them.
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And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them the wives whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead; but even so they found not enough for them.
15
And the people repented them for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
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And the elders of the assembly said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
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And they said, There must be a possession for those of Benjamin that have escaped, that a tribe be not blotted out of Israel.
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But we cannot give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to the Benjaminites!
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And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, toward the sun-rising of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
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And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
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and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
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And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain to us, that we will say to them, Gratify us with them, because we did not take each man his wife in the war; for ye did not give them to them, that ye should now be guilty.
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And the children of Benjamin did so, and took wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught; and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.
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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.
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In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
Now the children of Israel swore in Massephath, saying, No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.
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And the people came to Bæthel, and sat there until evening before God: and they lifted up their voice and wept with a great weeping;
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and said, Wherefore, O Lord God of Israel, has this come to pass, that to-day one tribe should be counted [as missing] from Israel?
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And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose up early, and built there an altar, and offered up whole-burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.
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And the children of Israel said, Who of all the tribes of Israel, went not up in the congregation to the Lord? for there was a great oath concerning those who went not up to the Lord to Massephath, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
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And the children of Israel relented toward Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day one tribe is cut off from Israel.
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What shall we do for wives for the rest that remain? whereas we have sworn by the Lord, not to give them of our daughters for wives.
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And they said, What one [man is there] of the tribes of Israel, who went not up to the Lord to Massephath? and, behold, no man came to the camp from Jabis Galaad to the assembly.
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And the people were numbered, and there was not there a man from the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad.
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And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the strongest, and they charged them, saying, Go ye and smite the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad with the edge of the sword.
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And this shall ye do: every male and every woman that has known the lying with man ye shall devote [to destruction], but the virgins ye shall save alive: and they did so.
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And they found among the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to Selom in the land of Chanaan.
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And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin in the rock Remmon, and invited them to [make] peace.
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And Benjamin returned to the children of Israel at that time, and the children of Israel gave them the women whom they [had] saved alive of the daughters of Jabis Galaad; and they were content.
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And the people relented for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
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And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
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And they said, [There must be] an inheritance of them that are escaped of Benjamin; and [so] a tribe shall not be destroyed out of Israel.
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For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore among the children of Israel, saying, Cursed [is] he that gives a wife to Benjamin.
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And they said, Lo! now [there is] a feast of the Lord from year to year in Selom, which is on the north of Bæthel, eastward on the way that goes up from Bæthel to Sychem, and from the south of Lebona.
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And they charged the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
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and ye shall see; and lo! if there come out the daughters of the inhabitants of Selom to dance in dances, then shall ye go out of the vineyards and seize for yourselves every man a wife of the daughters of Selom, and go ye into the land of Benjamin.
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And it shall come to pass, when their fathers or their brethren come to dispute with us, that we will say to them, Grant them freely to us, for we have not taken every man his wife in the battle: because ye did not give to them according to the occasion, ye transgressed.
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And the children of Benjamin did so; and they took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they seized: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.
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And the children of Israel went thence at that time every man to his tribe and his kindred; and they went thence every man to his inheritance.
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And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own sight.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Iuraverunt quoque filii Israel in Maspha et dixerunt: Nullus nostrum dabit filiis Beniamin de filiabus suis uxorem.
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Veneruntque omnes ad domum Dei in Silo, et in conspectu eius sedentes usque ad vesperam, levaverunt vocem, et magno ululatu cœperunt flere, dicentes:
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Quare Domine Deus Israel factum est hoc malum in populo tuo, ut hodie una tribus auferretur ex nobis?
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Altera autem die diluculo consurgentes, extruxerunt altare: obtuleruntque ibi holocausta, et pacificas victimas, et dixerunt:
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Quis non ascendit in exercitu Domini de universis tribubus Israel? Grandi enim iuramento se constrinxerant, cum essent in Maspha, interfici eos qui defuissent.
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Ductique pœnitentia filii Israel super fratre suo Beniamin, cœperunt dicere: Ablata est tribus una de Israel,
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unde uxores accipient? omnes enim in commune iuravimus, non daturos nos his filias nostras.
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Idcirco dixerunt: Quis est de universis tribubus Israel, qui non ascendit ad Dominum in Maspha? Et ecce inventi sunt habitatores Iabes Galaad in illo exercitu non fuisse.
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(Eo quoque tempore cum essent in Silo, nullus ex eis ibi repertus est.)
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Miserunt itaque decem millia viros robustissimos, et præceperunt eis: Ite, et percutite habitatores Iabes Galaad in ore gladii, tam uxores quam parvulos eorum.
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Et hoc erit quod observare debebitis: Omne generis masculini, et mulieres, quæ cognoverunt viros, interficite, virgines autem reservate.
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Inventæque sunt de Iabes Galaad quadringentæ virgines, quæ nescierunt viri thorum, et adduxerunt eas ad castra in Silo, in Terram Chanaan.
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Miseruntque nuncios ad filios Beniamin, qui erant in Petra Remmon, et præceperunt eis, ut eos susciperent in pace.
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Veneruntque filii Beniamin in illo tempore, et datæ sunt eis uxores de filiabus Iabes Galaad: alias autem non repererunt, quas simili modo traderent.
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Universusque Israel valde doluit, et egit pœnitentiam super interfectione unius tribus ex Israel.
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Dixeruntque maiores natu: Quid faciemus reliquis, qui non acceperunt uxores? omnes in Beniamin feminæ conciderunt,
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et magna nobis cura, ingentique studio providendum est, ne una tribus deleatur ex Israel.
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Filias enim nostras eis dare non possumus, constricti iuramento et maledictione, qua diximus: Maledictus qui dederit de filiabus suis uxorem Beniamin.
19
Ceperuntque consilium, atque dixerunt: Ecce sollemnitas Domini est in Silo anniversaria, quæ sita est ad Septentrionem urbis Bethel, et ad Orientalem plagam viæ, quæ de Bethel tendit ad Sichimam, et ad Meridiem oppidi Lebona.
20
Præceperuntque filiis Beniamin, atque dixerunt: Ite, ad latitate in vineis.
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Cumque videritis filias Silo ad ducendos choros ex more procedere, exite repente de vineis, et rapite ex eis singuli uxores singulas, et pergite in Terram Beniamin.
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Cumque venerint patres earum, ac fratres, et adversum vos queri cœperint, atque iurgari, dicemus eis: Miseremini eorum: non enim rapuerunt eas iure bellantium atque victorum, sed rogantibus ut acciperent, non dedistis, et a vestra parte peccatum est.
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Feceruntque filii Beniamin, ut sibi fuerat imperatum: et iuxta numerum suum rapuerunt sibi de his, quæ ducebant choros, uxores singulas: abieruntque in possessionem suam ædificantes urbes, et habitantes in eis.
24
Filii quoque Israel reversi sunt per tribus, et familias in tabernacula sua. In diebus illis non erat rex in Israel: sed unusquisque quod sibi rectum videbatur, hoc faciebat.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”
2
The people came to Bethel and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.
3
They said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?”
4
On the next day, the people rose early and 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 didn’t come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who didn’t come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”
6
The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.
7
How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”
8
They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to the LORD to Mizpah?” Behold, no one came from Jabesh Gilead to the camp to the assembly.
9
For when the people were counted, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.
10
The congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.
11
This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”
12
They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13
The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
14
Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.
15
The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16
Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”
17
They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
18
However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”
19
They said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”
20
They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
21
and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22
It shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we didn’t take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them; otherwise you would now be guilty.’”
23
The children of Benjamin did so, and took wives for themselves according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them.
24
The children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they each went out from there to his own inheritance.
25
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
And the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, `None of us doth give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.'
2
And the people come in to Beth-El, and sit there till the evening before God, and lift up their voice, and weep--a great weeping,
3
and say, `Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, hath this been in Israel--to be lacking to-day, from Israel, one tribe?'
4
And it cometh to pass on the morrow, that the people rise early, and build there an altar, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.
5
And the sons of Israel say, `Who <FI>is<Fi> he that hath not come up in the assembly out of all the tribes of Israel unto Jehovah?' for the great oath hath been concerning him who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh, saying, `He is surely put to death.'
6
And the sons of Israel repent concerning Benjamin their brother, and say, `There hath been to-day cut off one tribe from Israel,
7
what do we do for them--for those who are left--for wives, and we--we have sworn by Jehovah not to give to them of our daughters for wives?'
8
And they say, `Who is <FI>that<Fi> one out of the tribes of Israel who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh?' and lo, none hath come in unto the camp from Jabesh-Gilead--unto the assembly.
9
And the people numbered themselves, and lo, there is not there a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.
10
And the company send there twelve thousand men of the sons of valour, and command them, saying, `Go--and ye have smitten the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead by the mouth of the sword, even the women and the infants.
11
And this <FI>is<Fi> the thing which ye do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, ye devote.'
12
And they find out of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women, virgins, who have not known man by the lying of a male, and they bring them in unto the camp at Shiloh, which <FI>is<Fi> in the land of Canaan.
13
And all the company send, and speak, unto the sons of Benjamin who <FI>are<Fi> in the rock Rimmon, and proclaim to them peace;
14
and Benjamin turneth back at that time, and they give to them the women whom they have kept alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead, and they have not found for <FI>all of<Fi> them so.
15
And the people repented concerning Benjamin, for Jehovah had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.
16
And the elders of the company say, `What do we do to the remnant for wives--for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?'
17
And they say, `A possession of an escaped party <FI>is<Fi> to Benjamin, and a tribe is not blotted out from Israel;
18
and we--we are not able to give to them wives out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed <FI>is<Fi> he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.'
19
And they say, `Lo, a festival of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> in Shiloh, from time to time, which <FI>is<Fi> on the north of Beth-El, at the rising of the sun, by the highway which is going up from Beth-El to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.'
20
And they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, `Go--and ye have laid wait in the vineyards,
21
and have seen, and lo, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances--then ye have gone out from the vineyards, and caught for you each his wife out of the daughters of Shiloh, and gone to the land of Benjamin;
22
and it hath been, when their fathers or their brethren come in to plead unto us, that we have said unto them, Favour us <FI>by<Fi> them, for we have not taken <FI>to<Fi> each his wife in battle, for ye--ye have not given to them at this time <FI>that<Fi> ye are guilty.'
23
And the sons of Benjamin do so, and take women according to their number, out of the dancers whom they have taken violently away; and they go, and turn back unto their inheritance, and build the cities, and dwell in them.
24
And the sons of Israel go up and down thence at that time, each to his tribe, and to his family; and they go out thence each to his inheritance.
25
In those days there is no king in Israel; each doth that which is right in his own eyes.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).