Judges 9; Judges 10; Judges 11; Judges 12; Judges 13; Judges 14; Judges 15; Judges 16; Judges 17; Judges 18; Judges 19; Judges 20; Judges 21

Judges 9

1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Which [is] better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, [which are] seventy persons, should reign over you, or that one should reign over you? remember also that I [am] your bone and your flesh.

3 And his mother's brethren spoke of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He [is] our brother.

4 And they gave him seventy [pieces] of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light persons, who followed him.

5 And he went to his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, [being] seventy persons, upon one stone; notwithstanding, yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

6 And all the men of Shechem assembled, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that [was] in Shechem.

7 And when they told [it] to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice and cried, and said to them, Hearken to me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken to you.

8 The trees went forth [on a time] to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive-tree, Reign thou over us.

9 But the olive-tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness, with which by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

10 And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, [and] reign over us.

11 But the fig-tree said to them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

12 Then said the trees to the vine, Come thou, [and] reign over us.

13 And the vine said to them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

14 Then said all the trees to the bramble, Come thou, [and] reign over us.

15 And the bramble said to the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, [then] come [and] put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands:

17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you from the hand of Midian:

18 And ye have risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he [is] your brother:)

19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, [then] rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,

23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

24 That the cruelty [done] to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem who aided him in the killing of his brethren.

25 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him on the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

26 And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trod [the grapes], and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.

28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who [is] Abimelech, and who [is] Shechem, that we should serve him; [is] not [he] the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

29 And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thy army, and come out.

30 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.

31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech privately, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed, and his brethren, are come to Shechem; and behold, they fortify the city against thee.

32 Now therefore rise by night, thou, and the people that [are] with thee, and lie in wait in the field:

33 And it shall be, [that] in the morning, as soon as the sun hath risen, thou shalt rise early, and attack the city: and behold, [when] he and the people that [are] with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.

34 And Abimelech rose, and all the people that [were] with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose, and the people that [were] with him, from lying in wait.

36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said to him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as [if they were] men.

37 And Gaal spoke again, and said, See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.

38 Then said Zebul to him, Where [is] now thy mouth, with which thou saidst, Who [is] Abimelech, that we should serve him? [are] not these the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown [and] wounded, [even] to the entrance of the gate.

41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.

43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and behold, the people [had] come out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.

44 And Abimelech, and the company that [was] with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and the two [other] companies ran upon all [the people] that [were] in the fields, and slew them.

45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that [were] in it, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard [that], they entered into a hold of the house of the god Berith.

47 And it was told to Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were assembled.

48 And Abimelech ascended mount Zalmon, he and all the people that [were] with him; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid [it] on his shoulder, and said to the people that [were] with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, [and] do as I [have done].

49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put [them] to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them: so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut [it] after them, and ascended to the top of the tower.

52 And Abimelech came to the tower, and fought against it, and came near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

53 And a certain woman cast a piece of of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and broke his skull.

54 Then he called hastily to the young man his armor-bearer, and said to him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place.

56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Judges 10

1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havoth-jair to this day, which [are] in the land of Gilead.

5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.

7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

8 And that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years, all the children of Israel that [were] on the other side of Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which [is] in Gilead.

9 Moreover, the children of Ammon passed over Jordan, to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was greatly distressed.

10 And the children of Israel cried to the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

11 And the LORD said to the children of Israel, [Did] not [I deliver you] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

14 Go and cry to the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

15 And the children of Israel said to the LORD, We have sinned: do thou to us whatever seemeth good to thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

17 Then the children of Ammon were assembled, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves, and encamped in Mizpeh.

18 And the people [and] princes of Gilead said one to another, What man [is he] that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

Judges 11

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he [was] the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

2 And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said to him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou [art] the son of a strange woman.

3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and [they] went out with him.

4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah out of the land of Tob:

6 And they said to Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

7 And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Did ye not hate me, and expel me from my father's house; and why have ye come to me now when ye are in distress?

8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

9 And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, The LORD be a witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

12 And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou hast come against me to fight in my land?

13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came out of Egypt, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and to Jordan: now therefore restore those [lands] again peaceably.

14 And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon:

15 And said to him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness to the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;

17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken [to it]. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab; but he would not [consent]. And Israel abode in Kadesh.

18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon [was] the border of Moab.

19 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land to my place.

20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon collected all his people, and encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

22 And they possessed all the borders of the Amorites, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to Jordan.

23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldst thou possess it?

24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

25 And now [art] thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that [are] along by the borders of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover [them] within that time?

27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

28 But, the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not to the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over [to] the children of Ammon.

30 And Jephthah vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands,

31 Then it shall be, that whatever cometh out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it for a burnt-offering.

32 So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

33 And he smote them from Aroer even till thou comest to Minnith, [even] twenty cities, and to the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to his house, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she [was his] only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot go back.

36 And she said to him, My father, [if] thou hast opened thy mouth to the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thy enemies, [even] of the children of Ammon.

37 And she said to her father, Let this thing be done for me: Let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away [for] two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

40 [That] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

Judges 12

1 And the men of Ephraim assembled, and went northward, and said to Jephthah, Why didst thou pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee; we will burn thy house upon thee with fire.

2 And Jephthah said to them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

3 And when I saw that ye delivered [me] not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: why then have ye come up to me this day, to fight against me?

4 Then Jephthah collected all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites [are] fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, [and] among the Manassites.

5 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was [so], that when those Ephraimites who had escaped, said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said to him, [Art] thou an Ephraimite? If he said, No;

6 Then said they to him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce [it] right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan. And there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years: then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in [one of] the cities of Gilead.

8 And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel.

9 And he had thirty sons and thirty daughters [whom] he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons: and he judged Israel seven years.

10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.

11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years.

12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Ajalon in the country of Zebulun.

13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.

14 And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on seventy ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.

Judges 13

1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name [was] Manoah; and his wife [was] barren, and bore not.

3 And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman, and said to her, Behold, now, thou [art] barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine, nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean [thing]:

5 For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from his birth: and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.

6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his countenance [was] like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he [was], neither did he tell me his name:

7 But he said to me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean [thing]: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from his birth to the day of his death.

8 Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God, whom thou didst send come again to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child that shall be born.

9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband [was] not with her.

10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and showed her husband, and said to him, Behold, the man hath appeared to me, that came to me the [other] day.

11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, [Art] thou the man that didst speak to the woman? And he said, I [am].

12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and [how] shall we do to him?

13 And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, Of all that I said to the woman, let her beware.

14 She may not eat of any [thing] that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean [thing]; all that I commanded her let her observe.

15 And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

16 And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, Though thou shouldst detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt-offering, thou must offer it to the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he [was] an angel of the LORD.

17 And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, What [is] thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass, we may do thee honor?

18 And the angel of the LORD said to him, why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it [is] secret?

19 So Manoah took a kid, with a meat-offering, and offered [it] upon a rock to the LORD; and [the angel] did wonderously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20 For it came to pass, when the flame ascended towards heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on [it], and fell on their faces to the ground.

21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he [was] an angel of the LORD.

22 And Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

23 But his wife said to him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands, neither would he have showed us all these [things], nor would, as at this time, have told us [such things] as these.

24 And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson. And the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 14

1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me for a wife.

3 Then his father and his mother said to him, [Is there] not a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said to his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

4 But his father and his mother knew not that it [was] of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and behold, a young lion roared against him.

6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and [he had] nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and behold, [there was] a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion.

9 And he took of it in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they ate: but he told them not that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

10 So his father went down to the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.

11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

12 And Samson said to them, I will now propose a riddle to you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find [it] out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:

13 But if ye cannot declare [it] to me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said to him, propose thy riddle, that we may hear it.

14 And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said to Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take what we possess? [is it] not [so]?

16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast proposed a riddle to the children of my people, and hast not told [it] to me. And he said to her, Behold, I have not told [it] to my father nor to my mother, and shall I tell [it] to thee?

17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she urged him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

18 And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What [is] sweeter than honey? and what [is] stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments to them who expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Judges 15

1 But it came to pass after a while, 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.

2 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.

3 And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took fire-brands, and turned tail to tail, and put a fire-brand in the midst between two tails.

5 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.

6 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.

7 And Samson said to them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.

8 And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter. And he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

9 Then the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.

10 And the men of Judah said, Why have ye come up against us? And they answered, We have come to bind Samson, to do to him as he hath done to us.

11 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 to us? And he said to them, As they did to me, so have I done to them.

12 And they said to him, We have come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said to them, Swear to me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.

13 And they spoke to 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.

14 [And] when he came to 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 the hands.

15 And he found a fresh jaw-bone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men with it.

16 And Samson said, With the jaw-bone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

17 And it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jaw-bone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi.

18 And he was very thirsty, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die by thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

19 But God cleaved a hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water out of it; and when he had drank, his spirit came again, and he revived. Wherefore he called the name of it En-hakkore, which [is] in Lehi to this day.

20 And he judged Israel, in the days of the Philistines, twenty years.

Judges 16

1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.

2 [And it was told] the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they encompassed [him], 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.

3 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 a hill that [is] before Hebron.

4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name [was] Delilah.

5 And the lords of the Philistines came to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in what 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.

6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, in what thy great strength [lieth], and with what thou mayest be bound to afflict thee.

7 And Samson said to her, If they bind me with seven green withs, that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought to her seven green withs, which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9 (Now [there were] men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber.) And she said to him, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson. And he broke the withs as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

10 And Delilah said to Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, with what thou mayest be bound.

11 And he said to her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were used, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him with them, and said to him, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson. (And [there were] liers in wait abiding in the chamber.) And he broke them from off his arms like a thread.

13 And Delilah said to Samson, hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me with what thou mayest be bound. And he said to her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.

14 And she fastened [it] with the pin, and said to him, The Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

15 And she said to him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart [is] not with me? Thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me in what thy great strength [lieth].

16 And it came to pass when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, [so] that his soul was vexed to death;

17 That he told her all his heart, and said to her, There hath not come a razor upon my head; for I [have been] a Nazarite to God from my birth: if I be shaved, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man.

18 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 disclosed to me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought money in their hand.

19 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.

20 And she said, the Philistines [are] 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 knew not that the LORD had departed from him.

21 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.

22 However the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaved.

23 Then the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

24 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; who slew many of us.

25 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.

26 And Samson said to the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars upon which the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.

27 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.

28 And Samson called to 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.

29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was supported, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30 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] in it. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than [they] which he slew in his life.

31 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 burying-place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

Judges 17

1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name [was] Micah.

2 And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred [shekels] of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst curse, and speak of also in my ears, behold, the silver [is] with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed [be thou] of the LORD, my son.

3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred [shekels] of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it to thee.

4 Yet he restored the money to his mother; and his mother took two hundred [shekels] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made of it a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

5 And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

6 In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah of the family of Judah, who [was] a Levite, and he sojourned there.

8 And the man departed out of the city from Beth-lehem-judah, to sojourn where he could find [a place]: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

9 And Micah said to him, Whence comest thou? And he said to him, I [am] a Levite of Beth-lehem-judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].

10 And Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to 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.

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.

12 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

13 Then said Micah, Now I know that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite for [my] priest.

Judges 18

1 In those days [there was] no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in; for to that day [all their] inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.

2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their borders, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to explore the land, and to search it; and they said to them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

3 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 to him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this [place]? and what hast thou here?

4 And he said to them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

5 And they said to him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

6 And the priest said to them, Go in peace: before the LORD [is] your way in which ye go.

7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that [were] in it, 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.

8 And they came to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said to them, What [say] ye?

9 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.

10 When ye go, ye shall come to 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] on the earth.

11 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.

12 And they went up, and encamped in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan to this day: behold, [it is] behind Kirjath-jearim.

13 And they passed thence to mount Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

14 Then answered the five men that went to explore the country of Laish, and said to 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.

15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, [even] to the house of Micah, and saluted him.

16 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, who [were] of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

17 And the five men that went to explore 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 entrance of the gate with the six hundred men [that were] appointed with weapons of war.

18 And these went into Micah's house, and brought the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest to them, What do ye?

19 And they said to him, Hold thy peace, lay thy 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 to the house of one man, or that thou shouldst be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?

20 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.

21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, and the cattle, and the furniture before them.

22 [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 collected, and overtook the children of Dan.

23 And they cried to the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said to Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye have gone away: and what have I more? and what [is] this [that] ye say to me, What aileth thee?

25 And the children of Dan said to him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows rush upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.

26 And the children of Dan departed: and when Micah saw that they [were] too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 And they took [the things] which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came to Laish, to a people [that were] at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

28 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 Beth-rehob. And they built a city and dwelt in it.

29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel: but the name of the city [was] Laish at the first.

30 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.

31 And they set up for themselves Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

Judges 19

1 And it came to pass in those days, when [there was] no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite dwelling on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah.

2 And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there four whole months.

3 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly to 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.

4 And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they ate and drank, and lodged there.

5 And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he arose to depart: and the damsel's father said to his son-in-law, Comfort thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward depart.

6 And they sat down, and ate and drank both of them together: for the damsel's father had said to the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thy heart be merry.

7 And when the man rose to depart, his father-in-law urged him: therefore he lodged there again.

8 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel's father said, Comfort thy heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they ate both of them.

9 And when the man arose to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said to him, Behold now the day draweth towards evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day is coming to an end, lodge here, that thy heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.

10 But the man would not tarry that night, but he arose and departed, and came over against Jebus, which [is] Jerusalem; and [there were] with him two asses saddled, his concubine also [was] with him.

11 [And] when they [were] by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in to this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.

12 And his master said to 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.

13 And he said to his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

14 And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them [when they were] by Gibeah, which [belongeth] to Benjamin.

15 And they turned aside thither, to go in [and] to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat down in a street of the city: for [there was] no man that took them into his house to lodge.

16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at evening, who [was] also of mount Ephraim; and he dwelt in Gibeah: but the men of the place [were] Benjaminites.

17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a way-faring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?

18 And he said to him, We [are] passing from Beth-lehem-Judah towards the side of mount Ephraim; from thence [am] I: and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I [am now] going to the house of the LORD; and there [is] no man that receiveth me into [his] house.

19 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:

20 And the old man said, Peace [be] with thee; however, [let] all thy wants [lie] upon me; only lodge not in the street.

21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender to the asses: and they washed their feet and ate and drank.

22 [Now] as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house on all sides, [and] beat at the door, and spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may know him.

23 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said to them, Nay, my brethren, [nay], I pray you, do not [so] wickedly; seeing that this man is come into my house, do not this folly.

24 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 to you: but to this man do not so vile a thing.

25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth to 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.

26 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.

27 And her lord rose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and behold, the woman his concubine had fallen down [at] the door of the house, and her hands [were] upon the threshhold.

28 And he said to her, Rise, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her upon an ass, and the man rose, and went to his place.

29 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the borders of Israel.

30 And it was so, that all that saw it, said, There hath been no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came from the land of Egypt to this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak [your minds].

Judges 20

1 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, to the LORD in Mizpeh.

2 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.

3 (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?

4 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.

5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house upon me by night, [and] thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

6 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.

7 Behold, ye [are] all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.

8 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:

9 But now this [shall be] the thing which we will do to Gibeah: [we will go up] by lot against it;

10 And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch provisions 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.

11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness [is] this that is done among you?

13 Now therefore deliver [us] the men, the children of Belial, who [are] in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and banish evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel:

14 But the children of Benjamin assembled out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

15 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

16 Among all this people [there were] seven hundred chosen men left-handed; every one could sling stones to a hair-[breadth], and not miss.

17 And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these [were] men of war.

18 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.

19 And the children of Israel rose in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

20 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.

21 And the children of Benjamin came forth from Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.

22 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.

23 (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, 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.)

24 And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.

25 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.

26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came to the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the LORD.

27 And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God [was] there in those days,

28 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 thy hand.

29 And Israel set liers in wait around Gibeah.

30 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.

31 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.

32 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 to the highways.

33 And all the men of Israel rose out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, [even] out of the meadows of Gibeah.

34 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was severe: but they knew not that evil [was] near them.

35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjaminites that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred men: all these drew the sword.

36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjaminites, because they trusted to the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

37 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.

38 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 to rise from the city.

39 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.

40 But when the flame began to rise from the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them, and behold, the flame of the city ascended to heaven.

41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil had come upon them.

42 Therefore they turned [their backs] before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them who [came] out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

43 [Thus] they inclosed the Benjaminites on all sides, [and] chased them, [and] trod them down with ease over against Gibeah towards the sun-rising.

44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these [were] men of valor.

45 And they turned and fled towards the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them to Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

46 So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these [were] men of valor.

47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

48 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.

Judges 21

1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.

2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept bitterly;

3 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?

4 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.

5 And the children of Israel said, Who [is there] among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation to 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.

6 And the children of Israel repented for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

7 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 for wives?

8 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 Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.

9 For the people were numbered, and behold, [there were] none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.

10 And the congregation 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, with the women and the children.

11 And this [is] the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins that 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.

13 And the whole congregation sent [some] to speak to the children of Benjamin that [were] in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably to them.

14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

15 And the people repented 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 do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

17 And they said, [There must be] an inheritance for them that have escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

18 But, 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.

19 Then they said, Behold, [there is] a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

20 Therefore 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 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.

22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to us to complain, that we will say to them, Be favorable to them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give to them at this time, [that] ye should be guilty.

23 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 to their inheritance, and repaired the cities and dwelt in them.

24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went from thence every man to his inheritance.

25 In those days [there was] no king in Israel: every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes.