17:1 There was a man named Micah from the Ephraimite hill country. 17:2 He said to his mother, “You know 1 the eleven hundred pieces of silver which were stolen 2 from you, about which I heard you pronounce a curse? Look here, I have the silver. I stole 3 it, but now I am giving it back to you.” 4 His mother said, “May the Lord reward 5 you, my son!” 17:3 When he gave back to his mother the eleven hundred pieces of silver, his mother said, “I solemnly dedicate 6 this silver to the Lord. It will be for my son’s benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image.” 7 17:4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she 8 took two hundred pieces of silver 9 to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah’s house. 10 17:5 Now this man Micah owned a shrine. 11 He made an ephod 12 and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest. 13 17:6 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. 14
17:7 There was a young man from Bethlehem 15 in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah. 16 17:8 This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah’s house. 17 17:9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He replied, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live.” 18 17:10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me. Become my adviser 19 and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.” 20 17:11 So the Levite agreed to stay with the man; the young man was like a son to Micah. 21 17:12 Micah paid 22 the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micah’s house. 17:13 Micah said, “Now I know God will make me rich, 23 because I have this Levite as my priest.”
18:1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place 24 to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel. 25 18:2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, 26 capable men 27 from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah’s house. 28 18:3 As they approached 29 Micah’s house, they recognized the accent 30 of the young Levite. So they stopped 31 there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” 32 18:4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, 33 “He hired me and I became his priest.” 18:5 They said to him, “Seek a divine oracle for us, 34 so we can know if we will be successful on our mission.” 35 18:6 The priest said to them, “Go with confidence. 36 The Lord will be with you on your mission.” 37
18:7 So the five men journeyed on 38 and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there 39 were living securely, like the Sidonians do, 40 undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. 41 They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 42 18:8 When the Danites returned to their tribe 43 in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen 44 asked them, “How did it go?” 45 18:9 They said, “Come on, let’s attack them, 46 for 47 we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, 48 but don’t hesitate 49 to invade and conquer 50 the land. 18:10 When you invade, 51 you will encounter 52 unsuspecting people. The land is wide! 53 God is handing it over to you – a place that lacks nothing on earth!” 54
18:11 So six hundred Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 55 18:12 They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. 56 It is west 57 of Kiriath Jearim.) 18:13 From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah’s house. 18:14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish 58 said to their kinsmen, 59 “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.” 18:15 They stopped 60 there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah), 61 and asked him how he was doing. 62 18:16 Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate. 63 18:17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole 64 the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men. 65 18:18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole 66 the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 18:19 They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser 67 and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?” 68 18:20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. 69
18:21 They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions. 70 18:22 After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors 71 gathered together and caught up with the Danites. 18:23 When they called out to the Danites, the Danites 72 turned around and said to Micah, “Why have you gathered together?” 18:24 He said, “You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, ‘What do you want?’” 73 18:25 The Danites said to him, “Don’t say another word to us, or some very angry men 74 will attack you, and you and your family will die.” 75 18:26 The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized 76 they were too strong to resist, 77 he turned around and went home.
18:27 Now the Danites 78 took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. 79 18:28 No one came to the rescue because the city 80 was far from Sidon 81 and they had no dealings with anyone. 82 The city 83 was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites 84 rebuilt the city and occupied it. 18:29 They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel’s sons. 85 But the city’s name used to be Laish. 18:30 The Danites worshiped 86 the carved image. Jonathan, descendant 87 of Gershom, son of Moses, 88 and his descendants 89 served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile. 18:31 They worshiped 90 Micah’s carved image 91 the whole time God’s authorized shrine 92 was in Shiloh.
19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite 93 living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine 94 from Bethlehem 95 in Judah. 19:2 However, she 96 got angry at him 97 and went home 98 to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months, 19:3 her husband came 99 after her, hoping he could convince her to return. 100 He brought with him his servant 101 and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father’s house and the girl’s father saw him, he greeted him warmly. 102 19:4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay with him for three days, and they ate and drank together, and spent the night there. 19:5 On the fourth day they woke up early and the Levite got ready to leave. 103 But the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have a bite to eat for some energy, 104 then you can go.” 19:6 So the two of them sat down and had a meal together. 105 Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Why not stay another night and have a good time!” 106 19:7 When the man got ready to leave, 107 his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night. 108 19:8 He woke up early in the morning on the fifth day so he could leave, but the girl’s father said, “Get some energy. 109 Wait until later in the day to leave!” 110 So they ate a meal together. 19:9 When the man got ready to leave 111 with his concubine and his servant, 112 his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look! The day is almost over! 113 Stay another night! Since the day is over, 114 stay another night here and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home.” 115 19:10 But the man did not want to stay another night. He left 116 and traveled as far as 117 Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). 118 He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine. 119
19:11 When they got near Jebus, it was getting quite late 120 and the servant 121 said to his master, “Come on, let’s stop at 122 this Jebusite city and spend the night in it.” 19:12 But his master said to him, “We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live. 123 We will travel on to Gibeah.” 19:13 He said to his servant, 124 “Come on, we will go into one of the other towns 125 and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 19:14 So they traveled on, 126 and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. 127 19:15 They stopped there and decided to spend the night 128 in Gibeah. They came into the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the night. 129
19:16 But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field. 130 The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.) 131 19:17 When he looked up and saw the traveler 132 in the town square, the old man said, “Where are you heading? Where do you come from?” 19:18 The Levite 133 said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem 134 in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. 135 But no one has invited me into their home. 19:19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant, 136 and the young man who is with your servants. 137 We lack nothing.” 19:20 The old man said, “Everything is just fine! 138 I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.” 19:21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal. 139
19:22 They were having a good time, 140 when suddenly 141 some men of the city, some good-for-nothings, 142 surrounded the house and kept beating 143 on the door. They said to the old man who owned the house, “Send out the man who came to visit you so we can have sex with him.” 144 19:23 The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, “No, my brothers! Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don’t do such a disgraceful thing! 19:24 Here are my virgin daughter and my guest’s 145 concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like. 146 But don’t do such a disgraceful thing to this man!” 19:25 The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite 147 grabbed his concubine and made her go outside. 148 They raped 149 her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn. 19:26 The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of the house where her master 150 was staying until it became light. 151 19:27 When her master 152 got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went outside to start on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, sprawled out on the doorstep of the house with her hands on the threshold. 19:28 He said to her, “Get up, let’s leave!” But there was no response. He put her on the donkey and went home. 153 19:29 When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces. 154 Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel. 155 19:30 Everyone who saw the sight 156 said, “Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since 157 the Israelites left the land of Egypt! 158 Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”
20:1 All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba 159 and from the land of Gilead 160 left their homes 161 and assembled together 162 before the Lord at Mizpah. 20:2 The leaders 163 of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, which numbered 164 four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers. 20:3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said, “Explain how this wicked thing happened!” 20:4 The Levite, 165 the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up, “I and my concubine stopped in 166 Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin 167 to spend the night. 20:5 The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. 168 They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died. 20:6 I grabbed hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces 169 throughout the territory occupied by Israel, 170 because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity 171 in Israel. 20:7 All you Israelites, 172 make a decision here!” 173
20:8 All Israel rose up in unison 174 and said, “Not one of us will go home! 175 Not one of us will return 176 to his house! 20:9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates. 177 20:10 We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. 178 When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel.” 179 20:11 So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies. 180
20:12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe 181 of Benjamin, saying, “How could such a wicked thing take place? 182 20:13 Now, hand over the good-for-nothings 183 in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.” 184 But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers. 20:14 The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah 185 to make war against the Israelites. 20:15 That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah. 186 20:16 Among this army 187 were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers. 188 Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target. 189 20:17 The men of Israel (not counting Benjamin) had mustered four hundred thousand sword-wielding soldiers, every one an experienced warrior. 190
20:18 The Israelites went up to Bethel 191 and asked God, 192 “Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?” 193 The Lord said, “Judah should lead.” 20:19 The Israelites got up the next morning and moved 194 against Gibeah. 20:20 The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they 195 arranged their battle lines against Gibeah. 20:21 The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand Israelites that day. 196
20:22 The Israelite army 197 took heart 198 and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before. 20:23 The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening. They asked the Lord, “Should we 199 again march out to fight 200 the Benjaminites, our brothers?” 201 The Lord said, “Attack them!” 202 20:24 So the Israelites marched toward 203 the Benjaminites the next day. 20:25 The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down eighteen thousand sword-wielding Israelite soldiers. 204
20:26 So all the Israelites, the whole army, 205 went up to 206 Bethel. 207 They wept and sat there before the Lord; they did not eat anything 208 that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace 209 to the Lord. 20:27 The Israelites asked the Lord (for the ark of God’s covenant was there in those days; 20:28 Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving the Lord 210 in those days), “Should we 211 once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers, 212 or should we 213 quit?” The Lord said, “Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them 214 over to you.”
20:29 So Israel hid men in ambush outside Gibeah. 20:30 The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; 215 they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before. 20:31 The Benjaminites attacked 216 the army, leaving the city unguarded. 217 They began to strike down their enemy 218 just as they had done before. On the main roads (one leads to Bethel, 219 the other to Gibeah) and in the field, they struck down 220 about thirty Israelites. 20:32 Then the Benjaminites said, “They are defeated just as before.” But the Israelites said, “Let’s retreat 221 and lure them 222 away from the city into the main roads.” 20:33 223 All the men of Israel got up from their places and took their positions at Baal Tamar, while the Israelites hiding in ambush jumped out of their places west of Gibeah. 20:34 Ten thousand men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, then made a frontal assault against Gibeah – the battle was fierce. 224 But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep. 225 20:35 The Lord annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites. 226 20:36 Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated.
The Israelites retreated before 227 Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah. 20:37 The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash 228 to Gibeah. They 229 attacked 230 and put the sword to the entire city. 20:38 The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush 231 sent up a smoke signal from the city, 20:39 the Israelites counterattacked. 232 Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; 233 they struck down 234 about thirty men. They said, “There’s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.” 20:40 But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky. 235 20:41 When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked 236 because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep. 237 20:42 They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook 238 them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down. 239 20:43 They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, 240 and annihilated 241 them all the way to a spot east of Geba. 242 20:44 Eighteen thousand Benjaminites, all of them capable warriors, fell dead. 20:45 The rest 243 turned and ran toward the wilderness, heading toward the cliff of Rimmon. But the Israelites 244 caught 245 five thousand of them on the main roads. They stayed right on their heels 246 all the way to Gidom and struck down two thousand more. 20:46 That day twenty-five thousand 247 sword-wielding Benjaminites fell in battle, all of them capable warriors. 248 20:47 Six hundred survivors turned and ran away to the wilderness, to the cliff of Rimmon. They stayed there four months. 20:48 The Israelites returned to the Benjaminite towns 249 and put the sword to them. They wiped out the cities, 250 the animals, and everything they could find. They set fire to every city in their path. 251
21:1 The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.” 21:2 So the people came to Bethel 252 and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably. 253 21:3 They said, “Why, O Lord God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?” An entire 254 tribe has disappeared from Israel today!”
21:4 The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and token of peace. 255 21:5 The Israelites asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled before the Lord?” They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah must certainly be executed. 256 21:6 The Israelites regretted what had happened to 257 their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today we cut off an entire 258 tribe from Israel! 21:7 How can we find wives for those who are left? 259 After all, we took an oath in the Lord’s name not to give them our daughters as wives.” 21:8 So they asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering. 260 21:9 When they took roll call, 261 they noticed 262 none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there. 21:10 So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors 263 against Jabesh Gilead. 264 They commanded them, “Go and kill with your swords 265 the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children. 21:11 Do this: 266 exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has had sexual relations with a male. 267 But spare the lives of any virgins.” So they did as instructed. 268 21:12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young girls who were virgins – they had never had sexual relations with a male. 269 They brought them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
21:13 The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed. 270 21:14 The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites 271 gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around. 272
21:15 The people regretted what had happened to 273 Benjamin because the Lord had weakened 274 the Israelite tribes. 21:16 The leaders 275 of the assembly said, “How can we find wives for those who are left? 276 After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out. 21:17 The 277 remnant of Benjamin must be preserved. An entire Israelite tribe should not be wiped out. 278 21:18 But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, 279 for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!’ 280 21:19 However, there is an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel 281 (east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem) and south of Lebonah.” 21:20 So they commanded the Benjaminites, “Go hide in the vineyards, 21:21 and keep your eyes open. 282 When you see 283 the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration, 284 jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land of Benjamin. 21:22 When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, 285 we’ll say to them, “Do us a favor and let them be, 286 for we could not get each one a wife through battle. 287 Don’t worry about breaking your oath! 288 You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’” 289
21:23 The Benjaminites did as instructed. 290 They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives. 291 They went home 292 to their own territory, 293 rebuilt their cities, and settled down. 294 21:24 Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property. 295 21:25 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. 296