Judges 21
NASB
Judg 21:1
Judg 21:2
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So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.
Judg 21:3
Judg 21:4
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It came about the next day that the people arose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
Judg 21:5
Judg 21:6
Judg 21:7
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~"What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?"
Judg 21:8
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And they said, "What one is there of the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?" And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
Judg 21:9
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For when the people were numbered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.
Judg 21:10
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And the congregation sent 12,000 of the valiant warriors 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.
Judg 21:11
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~"This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every man and every woman who has lain with a man."
Judg 21:12
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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 Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
Judg 21:13
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Then the whole congregation sent {word} and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
Judg 21:14
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Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead; yet they were not enough for them.
Judg 21:15
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And the people were sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
Judg 21:16
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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?"
Judg 21:17
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They said, "{There must be} an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel.
Judg 21:18
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~"But we cannot give them wives of our daughters." For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, "Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin."
Judg 21:19
Judg 21:20
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And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
Judg 21:21
Judg 21:22
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~"It shall come about, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we shall say to them, `Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take for each man {of Benjamin} a wife in battle, nor did you give {them} to them, {else} you would now be guilty."'
Judg 21:23
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The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they carried away. And they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and lived in them.
Judg 21:24
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The sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one of them went out from there to his inheritance.
Judg 21:25
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In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
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