^21:22When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us,³⁴ we’ll say to them, “Do us a favor and let them be,³⁵ for we could not get each one a wife through battle.³⁶ Don’t worry about breaking your oath!³⁷ You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’ ”³⁸

^21:23The Benjaminites did as instructed.³⁹ They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives.⁴⁰ They went home⁴¹ to their own territory,⁴² rebuilt their cities, and settled down.⁴³^21:24Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property.⁴⁴^21:25In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.⁴⁵

Read in Logos

Footnotes

34 The (original) and read “to you.”
35 The words “and let them be” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
36 Heb “for we did not take each his wife in battle.” Through battle. This probably refers to the battle against Jabesh Gilead, which only produced four hundred of the six hundred wives needed.
37 This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the logic of the statement.
38 Heb “You did not give to them, now you are guilty.” The as it stands makes little sense. It is preferable to emend לֹא (lo’, “not”) to לוּא (lu’, “if”). This particle introduces a purely hypothetical condition, “If you had given to them [but you didn’t].” See G. F. Moore, Judges (), .
39 Heb “did so.”
40 Heb “And they took wives according to their number from the dancing girls whom they abducted.”
41 Heb “went and returned.”
42 Heb “inheritance.”
43 Heb “and lived in them.”
44 Heb “his inheritance.”
45 Heb “Each was doing what was right in his [own] eyes.” Each man did what he considered to be right. The Book of Judges closes with this note, which summarizes the situation of the Israelite tribes during this period.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’ ” And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. Then they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and lived in them. And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.’ ”

So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.

At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

When their fathers or brothers come to us and protest, we will tell them, ‘Show favor to them, since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the battle. You didn’t actually give the women to them, so you are not guilty of breaking your oath.’ ”

The Benjaminites did this and took the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and lived in them. At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there to his own inheritance.

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

NLTNew Living Translation

And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, ‘Please be sympathetic. Let them have your daughters, for we didn’t find wives for all of them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not actually give your daughters to them in marriage.’ ”

So the men of Benjamin did as they were told. Each man caught one of the women as she danced in the celebration and carried her off to be his wife. They returned to their own land, and they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.

Then the people of Israel departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes.

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And if their fathers or their brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Allow us to have them, because we did not capture a wife for each man in the battle, and because you did not give them to them, or else you would have been guilty.’ ” The descendants of Benjamin did likewise, and they took wives for each of them from the dancers whom they seized, and they went and returned to their territory, and they rebuilt the cities and they lived in them. So the Israelites dispersed from there at that time according to tribe and family; and they went out from there, each one to their own territory. In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did what was right in his own eyes.

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

Public Domain