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Judges
| But it came to pass within a while after, in the
time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he
said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not
suffer him to go in. |
| And her father said, I verily thought that thou
hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not
her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of
her. |
| And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more
blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. |
| And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and
took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the
midst between two tails. |
| And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them
go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the
shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. |
| Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And
they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had
taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came
up, and burnt her and her father with fire. |
| And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this,
yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. |
| And he smote them hip and thigh with a great
slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam. |
| Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah,
and spread themselves in Lehi. |
| And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up
against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to
him as he hath done to us. |
| Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of
the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines
are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he
said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. |
| And they said unto him, We are come down to bind
thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And
Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me
yourselves. |
| And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will
bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not
kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up
from the rock. |
| And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted
against him: and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the
cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire,
and his bands loosed from off his hands. |
| And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth
his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. |
| And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps
upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men. |
| And it came to pass, when he had made an end of
speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that
place Ramathlehi. |
| And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and
said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy
servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the
uncircumcised? |
| But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw,
and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came
again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore,
which is in Lehi unto this day. |
| And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines
twenty years. |
| Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot,
and went in unto her. |
| And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come
hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in
the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the
morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. |
| And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight,
and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went
away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and
carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. |
| And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman
in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. |
| And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her,
and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth,
and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to
afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces
of silver. |
| And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee,
wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound
to afflict thee. |
| And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven
green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as
another man. |
| Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her
seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. |
| Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her
in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee,
Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it
toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known. |
| And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast
mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou
mightest be bound. |
| And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new
ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another
man. |
| Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him
therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And
there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from
off his arms like a thread. |
| And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast
mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound.
And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with
the web. |
| And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him,
The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep,
and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. |
| And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love
thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three
times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. |
| And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with
her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; |
| That he told her all his heart, and said unto her,
There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite
unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go
from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. |
| And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his
heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying,
Come up this once, for he hath showed me all his heart. Then the lords
of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. |
| And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she
called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his
head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. |
| And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.
And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times
before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed
from him. |
| But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes,
and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and
he did grind in the prison house. |
| Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again
after he was shaven. |
| Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them
together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to
rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our
hand. |
| And when the people saw him, they praised their god:
for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the
destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. |
| And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry,
that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they
called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and
they set him between the pillars. |
| And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the
hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth,
that I may lean upon them. |
| Now the house was full of men and women; and all the
lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about
three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. |
| And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord
GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this
once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two
eyes. |
| And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon
which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his
right hand, and of the other with his left. |
| And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines.
And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the
lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he
slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. |
| Then his brethren and all the house of his father
came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between
Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he
judged Israel twenty years. |
| And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was
Micah. |
| And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred
shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst,
and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took
it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son. |
| And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels
of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the
silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and
a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee. |
| Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his
mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder,
who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the
house of Micah. |
| And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an
ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his
priest. |
| In those days there was no king in Israel, but every
man did that which was right in his own eyes. |
| And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of
the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. |
| And the man departed out of the city from
Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to
mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. |
| And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he
said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn
where I may find a place. |
| And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto
me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by
the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went
in. |
| And the Levite was content to dwell with the man;
and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. |
| And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man
became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. |
| Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me
good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest. |
| 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 all their inheritance had not fallen unto them
among the tribes of Israel. |
| And the children of Dan sent of their family five
men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to
spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search
the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah,
they lodged there. |
| When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the
voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said
unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place?
and what hast thou here? |
| And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah
with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. |
| 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. |
| And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before
the LORD is your way wherein ye go. |
| Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and
saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the
manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate
in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were
far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man. |
| And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and
Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? |
| And they said, Arise, that we may 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 to possess the land. |
| When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and
to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where
there is no want of any thing that is in the earth. |
| And there went from thence of the family of the
Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with
weapons of war. |
| And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in
Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day:
behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim. |
| And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came
unto the house of Micah. |
| Then answered the five men that went to spy out the
country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is
in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten
image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. |
| And they turned thitherward, and came to the house
of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted
him. |
| And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons
of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the
gate. |
| And the five men that went to spy out the land went
up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and
the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering
of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of
war. |
| And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the
carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then
said the priest unto them, What do ye? |
| And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine
hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest:
is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that
thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? |
| And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the
ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of
the people. |
| So they turned and departed, and put the little ones
and the cattle and the carriage before them. |
| And when they were a good way from the house of
Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were
gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. |
| And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they
turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou
comest with such a company? |
| And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I
made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and
what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? |
| And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy
voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose
thy life, with the lives of thy household. |
| And the children of Dan went their way: and when
Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back
unto his house. |
| And they took the things which Micah had made, and
the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at
quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and
burnt the city with fire. |
| And there was no deliverer, because it was far from
Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley
that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. |
| And they called the name of the city Dan, after the
name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of
the city was Laish at the first. |
| And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and
Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were
priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. |
| And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he
made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. |
| And it came to pass in those days, when there was no
king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side
of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah. |
| And his concubine played the whore against him, and
went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehemjudah, and was
there four whole months. |
| And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak
friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him,
and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and
when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. |
| And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained
him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and
lodged there. |
| And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they
arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's
father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of
bread, and afterward go your way. |
| And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of
them together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be
content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. |
| And when the man rose up to depart, his father in
law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. |
| And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day
to depart: and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray
thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. |
| And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his
concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said
unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry
all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine
heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou
mayest go home. |
| But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose
up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and
there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. |
| And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent;
and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn
in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. |
| And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside
hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of
Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. |
| And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw
near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. |
| And they passed on and went their way; and the sun
went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to
Benjamin. |
| And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge
in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city:
for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. |
| And, behold, there came an old man from his work out
of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned
in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. |
| And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a
wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither
goest thou? and whence comest thou? |
| And he said unto him, We are passing from
Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I
went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and
there is no man that receiveth me to house. |
| Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses;
and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for
the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. |
| And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever
let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. |
| So he brought him into his house, and gave provender
unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. |
| Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold,
the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round
about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the
old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we
may know him. |
| And the man, the master of the house, went out unto
them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so
wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this
folly. |
| Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his
concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with
them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a
thing. |
| But the men would not hearken to him: so the man
took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her,
and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began
to spring, they let her go. |
| Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and
fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was
light. |
| And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the
doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman
his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands
were upon the threshold. |
| And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But
none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose
up, and gat him unto his place. |
| And when he was come into his house, he took a
knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with
her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of
Israel. |
| And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was
no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came
up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice,
and speak your minds. |
| Then all the children of Israel went out, and the
congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to
Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh. |
| And the chief of all the people, even of all the
tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of
God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. |
| (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the
children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of
Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness? |
| And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was
slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin,
I and my concubine, to lodge. |
| And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the
house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my
concubine have they forced, that she is dead. |
| And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and
sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for
they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel. |
| Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here
your advice and counsel. |
| And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will
not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his
house. |
| But now this shall be the thing which we will do to
Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; |
| And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout
all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand
out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do,
when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that
they have wrought in Israel. |
| So all the men of Israel were gathered against the
city, knit together as one man. |
| And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the
tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among
you? |
| Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of
Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away
evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the
voice of their brethren the children of Israel: |
| But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves
together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the
children of Israel. |
| And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that
time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword,
beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred
chosen men. |
| Among all this people there were seven hundred
chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth,
and not miss. |
| And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were
numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men
of war. |
| And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the
house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go
up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD
said, Judah shall go up first. |
| And the children of Israel rose up in the morning,
and encamped against Gibeah. |
| And the men of Israel went out to battle against
Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against
them at Gibeah. |
| And the children of Benjamin came forth out of
Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day
twenty and two thousand men. |
| And the people the men of Israel encouraged
themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they
put themselves in array the first day. |
| (And the children of Israel went up and wept before
the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go
up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the
LORD said, Go up against him.) |
| And the children of Israel came near against the
children of Benjamin the second day. |
| And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah
the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of
Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. |
| Then all the children of Israel, and all the people,
went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before
the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings
and peace offerings before the LORD. |
| And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD,
(for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, |
| And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron,
stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to
battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?
And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine
hand. |
| And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. |
| And the children of Israel went up against the
children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array
against Gibeah, as at other times. |
| And the children of Benjamin went out against the
people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of
the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one
goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field,
about thirty men of Israel. |
| And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten
down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us
flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways. |
| And all the men of Israel rose up out of their
place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait
of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of
Gibeah. |
| And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen
men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that
evil was near them. |
| And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the
children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five
thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword. |
| So the children of Benjamin saw that they were
smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because
they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah. |
| And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah;
and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with
the edge of the sword. |
| Now there was an appointed sign between the men of
Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with
smoke rise up out of the city. |
| And when the men of Israel retired in the battle,
Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty
persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in
the first battle. |
| But when the flame began to arise up out of the city
with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold,
the flame of the city ascended up to heaven. |
| And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of
Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them. |
| Therefore they turned their backs before the men of
Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and
them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them. |
| Thus they enclosed the Benjamites round about, and
chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward
the sunrising. |
| And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men;
all these were men of valour. |
| And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto
the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five
thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two
thousand men of them. |
| So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were
twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of
valour. |
| But six hundred men turned and fled to the
wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four
months. |
| And the men of Israel turned again upon the children
of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men
of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on
fire all the cities that they came to. |
| Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying,
There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. |
| And the people came to the house of God, and abode
there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; |
| 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? |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And the children of Israel repented them for
Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel
this day. |
| 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? |
| 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. |
| For the people were numbered, and, behold, there
were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there. |
| 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. |
| And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall
utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| And the people repented them for Benjamin, because
that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. |
| 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? |
| And they said, There must be an inheritance for them
that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of
Israel. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin,
saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| In those days there was no king in Israel: every man
did that which was right in his own eyes. |
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