Judges 21 (NET)

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Judges 21:1¹The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.”Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 20:1 Acts 23:12 Eccl 5:2 Judg 20:8 Judg 21:18 Mark 6:23 1 Sam 14:24 1 Sam 14:28-29 Deut 7:2-3 Jer 4:2

Judges 21:2²So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 20:26 1 Sam 30:4 Judg 20:18 Gen 27:38 Josh 18:1 Judg 2:4 Judg 20:23 Judg 21:12

Judges 21:3³They said, “Why, O Lord God of Israel, has this happened in Israel? An entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!”Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Jer 12:1 Ps 80:12 Deut 29:24 Isa 63:17 Josh 7:7-9 Prov 19:3 Ps 74:1

Judges 21:4⁴The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:2 Sam 24:25 1 Kgs 8:64 2 Sam 24:18 Exod 20:24-25 Heb 13:10 Hos 5:15 Judg 6:26 Ps 78:34-35

Judges 21:5⁵The Israelites asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled before the Lord?”They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah must certainly be executed.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 5:23 Jer 48:10 1 Sam 11:7 Judg 21:1 Judg 21:18 Lev 27:28-29

Judges 21:6⁶The Israelites regretted what had happened to their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today we cut off an entire tribe from Israel!Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 21:15 2 Sam 2:26 Hos 11:8 Judg 11:35 Judg 20:23 Luke 19:41-42

Judges 21:7⁷How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, we took an oath in the Lord ’s name not to give them our daughters as wives.”Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 21:1 1 Sam 14:28-29 1 Sam 14:45 Judg 21:18

Judges 21:8⁸So they asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:1 Sam 31:11-13 1 Sam 11:1-3 2 Sam 2:5-6

Judges 21:9⁹When they took roll call, they noticed none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AI

Judges 21:10¹⁰So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors against Jabesh Gilead. They commanded them, “Go and kill with your swords the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:1 Sam 11:7 Judg 21:5 Judg 5:23 1 Sam 15:3 Deut 13:15 Josh 7:24

Judges 21:11¹¹Do this: Exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has experienced a man’s bed. But spare the lives of any virgins.” So they did as instructed.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Num 31:17-18 Deut 2:34

Judges 21:12¹²They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead 400 young girls who were virgins who had never been intimate with a man in bed. They brought them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Josh 18:1 Ps 78:60 Jer 7:12 Judg 20:18 Judg 20:23

Judges 21:13¹³The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Deut 20:10 Judg 20:47 Eph 2:17 Isa 57:19 Josh 15:32 Luke 10:5

Judges 21:14¹⁴The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:1 Cor 7:2 Judg 20:47 Judg 21:12

Judges 21:15¹⁵The people regretted what had happened to Benjamin because the Lord had weakened the Israelite tribes.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 21:6 1 Chr 15:13 1 Chr 13:11 Isa 30:13 Isa 58:12 Judg 21:17

Judges 21:16¹⁶The leaders of the assembly said, “How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AI

Judges 21:17¹⁷The remnant of Benjamin must be preserved. An entire Israelite tribe should not be wiped out.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Num 26:55 Num 36:7

Judges 21:18¹⁸But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed.’Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 21:1 Judg 11:35

Judges 21:19¹⁹However, there is an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel (east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem) and south of Lebonah.”Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Exod 23:14-16 Ps 81:3 1 Sam 1:3 Deut 16:1 Deut 16:10 Deut 16:13 John 5:1 John 7:2 Josh 18:1 Judg 18:31

Judges 21:20²⁰So they commanded the Benjaminites, “Go hide in the vineyards,Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AI

Judges 21:21²¹and keep your eyes open. When you see the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration, jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land of Benjamin.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Exod 15:20 Judg 11:34 Jer 31:13 2 Sam 6:21 Luke 17:25 Ps 149:3 Ps 150:4 1 Sam 18:6 2 Sam 6:14 Eccl 3:4

Judges 21:22²²When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, we’ll say to them, ‘Do us a favor and let them be, for we could not get each one a wife through battle. Don’t worry about breaking your oath! You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’”Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 21:1 Judg 21:18 Mark 10:6-8 1 Cor 7:2 Gen 1:27 Gen 7:13 Judg 21:14 Judg 21:7 Phlm 1:9-12 Prov 20:25

Judges 21:23²³The Benjaminites did as instructed. They abducted 200 of the dancing girls to be their wives. They went home to their own territory, rebuilt their cities, and settled down.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Judg 20:48

Judges 21:24²⁴Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AI

Judges 21:25²⁵In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.Copy Link KJV+Strong’s Many Bible Versions Ask AICross Refs:Deut 12:8 Judg 17:6 Prov 3:5 Eccl 11:9 Prov 14:12 Judg 19:1 Judg 18:1 Mic 2:1-2 Ps 12:4