Judges
Chapter 21
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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.
1The men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, Not one of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.
2The people came to Bethel and sat there until evening before God, and they lifted their voice and wept a great weeping.
3They said, Why, God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that today one tribe is missing from Israel?
4The next day the people got up early and built an altar there, and they offered whole offerings and sacrifices of well-being.
5The sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up in the assembly to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.? For the great oath had been against anyone who did not come up to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. at Mizpah, saying, He shall be put to death, put to death.
6The sons of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, and they said, Today one tribe is cut off from Israel.
7What shall we do for them, for those who remain, for wives, since we have sworn by God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. not to give them any of our daughters as wives?
8They said, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. at Mizpah? And look, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly.
9The people were numbered, and look, there was no one there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.
10The assembly sent twelve thousand men of the men of worth there, and they commanded them, saying, Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead by the mouth of the sword, and the women and the children.
11This is the thing you shall do: every male, and every woman who has known the bed of a male, you shall devote.
12They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women, virgins, who had not known a man by lying with a male, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13The whole assembly sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they called peace to them.
14Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead. But they did not find enough for them in that way.
15The people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16The elders of the assembly said, What shall we do for those who remain, for wives, since the women have been destroyed from Benjamin?
17They said, There is an inheritance of a The small part that is left. for Benjamin, and a tribe shall not be wiped out from Israel.
18But we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed is the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.
19They said, Look, there is a feast of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. in Shiloh from year to year, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.
20He commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
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The written consonants are vayyetsav, “and he commanded,” singular. The Masoretic reading is vayyetsavvu, “and they commanded.” The written singular is printed.
21and watch, and look, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards and each man shall catch for himself his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and you shall go to the land of Benjamin.
22When their fathers or their brothers come to us for the multitude, we will say to them, Grant them to us as a favor, because we did not take a wife for each man in the war. For you yourselves did not give them to them. As of now you would be guilty.
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The written consonants are larov, “for the multitude,” or “to multiply.” The Masoretic reading is lariv, “to contend.” The written form is printed.
23The sons of Benjamin did so. They took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they had seized, and they went and returned to their inheritance, rebuilt the cities, and lived in them.
24The sons of Israel went from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his clan, and they went out from there, each man to his inheritance.
25In those days there was no king in Israel. A man would do whatever was straight in his own eyes.