Daily Reading

Judges 17:1-21:25

17:1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name [was] Micah.
17:2 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.

17:3 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.

17:4 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.

17:5 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.

17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every
man did that which was right in his own eyes.

17:7 And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the
family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

17:8 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.

17:9 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.

17:10 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.

17:11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the
young man was unto him as one of his sons.

17:12 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became
his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

17:13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good,
seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

18:1 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.
18:2 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.

18:3 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 unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in
this place? and what hast thou here?

18:4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me,
and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

18:5 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.

18:6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD
is your way wherein ye go.

18:7 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.

18:8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and
their brethren said unto them, What say ye?

18:9 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.

18:10 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.

18:11 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.

18:12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah:
wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day:
behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.

18:13 And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto
the house of Micah.

18:14 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.

18:15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the
young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and
saluted him.

18:16 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.

18:17 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.

18:18 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?

18:19 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?

18:20 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.

18:21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and
the cattle and the carriage before them.

18:22 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
gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.

18:23 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?

18:24 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?

18:25 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.

18:26 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.

18:27 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.

18:28 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 Bethrehob. And they built a city,
and dwelt therein.

18:29 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.

18:30 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.

18:31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made,
all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

19:1 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.
19:2 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.

19:3 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.

19:4 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.

19:5 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.

19:6 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.

19:7 And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged
him: therefore he lodged there again.

19:8 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.

19:9 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.

19:10 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.

19:11 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.

19:12 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.

19:13 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.

19:14 And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went
down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to
Benjamin.

19:15 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.

19:16 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.

19:17 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?

19:18 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.

19:19 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.

19:20 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever
let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the
street.

19:21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto
the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

19:22 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.

19:23 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.

19:24 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 unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a
thing.

19:25 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.

19:26 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.

19:27 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.

19:28 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.

19:29 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.

19:30 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.

20:1 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.
20:2 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.

20:3 (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?

20:4 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.

20:5 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.

20:6 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.

20:7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your
advice and counsel.

20:8 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.

20:9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to
Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;

20:10 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.

20:11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city,
knit together as one man.

20:12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of
Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among
you?

20:13 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:

20:14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together
out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the
children of Israel.

20:15 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.

20:16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen
men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair
breadth, and not miss.

20:17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four
hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of
war.

20:18 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.

20:19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and
encamped against Gibeah.

20:20 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.

20:21 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.

20:22 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.

20:23 (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.)

20:24 And the children of Israel came near against the children
of Benjamin the second day.

20:25 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.

20:26 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.

20:27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the
ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

20:28 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 thine hand.

20:29 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.

20:30 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.

20:31 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.

20:32 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 unto the highways.

20:33 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.

20:34 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.

20:35 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.

20:36 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.

20:37 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.

20:38 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 rise up out of the city.

20:39 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.

20:40 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.

20:41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of
Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon
them.

20:42 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.

20:43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and
chased them, and trode them down with ease over against
Gibeah toward the sunrising.

20:44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all
these were men of valour.

20:45 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.

20:46 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.

20:47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto
the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

20:48 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.

21:1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
21:2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there
till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept
sore;

21:3 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?

21:4 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.

21:5 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.

21:6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their
brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this
day.

21:7 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 to wives?

21:8 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 Jabeshgilead to the assembly.

21:9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were
none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

21:10 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.

21:11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly
destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

21:12 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.

21:13 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.

21:14 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.

21:15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that
the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

21:16 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?

21:17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them
that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out
of Israel.

21:18 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.

21:19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in
Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of
Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from
Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

21:20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying,
Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

21:21 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.

21:22 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.

21:23 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 unto their inheritance,
and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

21:24 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.

21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did
that which was right in his own eyes.


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