Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, August 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Judges 21:18

Yet, we, may not give them wives, of our own daughters, For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed, be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Rashness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Benjamin, Tribe of;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Judges, Book of;   Music, Instruments, Dancing;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Benjamin;   Jabesh, Jabesh-Gilead;   Marriage;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Shiloh;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Shiloh ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But we can’t give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite is cursed.”
Hebrew Names Version
However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Yisra'el had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Binyamin.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
But we cannot give them wives from our daughters." (For the Israelites swore, saying, "Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.")
English Standard Version
Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters." For the people of Israel had sworn, "Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin."
New Century Version
But we cannot allow our daughters to marry them, because we swore, ‘Anyone who gives a wife to a man of Benjamin is cursed.'
New English Translation
But we can't allow our daughters to marry them, for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!'
Amplified Bible
"But we cannot give them wives from our daughters." For the sons of Israel had sworn [an oath], "Cursed is he who gives a wife to [a man from the tribe of] Benjamin."
New American Standard Bible
"But we cannot give them wives from our daughters." For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, "Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Howbeit we may not giue them wiues of our daughters: for the childre of Israel had sworne, saying, Cursed be he yt giueth a wise to Beniamin.
Legacy Standard Bible
Maar ons self kan hulle geen vroue uit ons dogters gee nie; want die kinders van Israel het gesweer en gesê: Vervloek is hy wat 'n vrou aan Benjamin gee.
Contemporary English Version
But we can't let the men of Benjamin marry any of our daughters. We made a sacred promise not to do that, and if we break our promise, we will be under our own curse.
Complete Jewish Bible
Yet we can't give them our daughters as wives." For the people of Isra'el had sworn, "Cursed be whoever gives a wife to Binyamin."
Darby Translation
But we cannot give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to the Benjaminites!
Easy-to-Read Version
But we cannot allow our daughters to marry the men of Benjamin. We have made this promise: ‘Bad things will happen to anyone who gives a wife to a man of Benjamin.'
George Lamsa Translation
Howbeit we cannot give them wives of our daughters; for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
Good News Translation
but we cannot allow them to marry our daughters, because we have put a curse on anyone who allows a Benjaminite to marry one of our daughters."
Literal Translation
And we surely are not able to give wives to them from our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& we cannot geue them oure doughters to wiues. For the children of Israel haue sworne and sayde: Cursed be he that geueth a wyfe to the BenIamites.
American Standard Version
Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
Bible in Basic English
Seeing that we may not give them our daughters as wives? For the children of Israel had taken an oath, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Howbeit, we may not geue the wyues of our daughters. For the children of Israel had sworne, saying: Cursed be he that geueth a wyfe to Beniamin.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters.' For the children of Israel had sworn, saying: 'Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.'
King James Version (1611)
Howbeit wee may not giue them wiues of our daughters. For the children of Israel haue sworne, saying, Cursed be he that giueth a wife to Beniamin.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore among the children of Israel, saying, Cursed is he that gives a wife to Benjamin.
English Revised Version
Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
Berean Standard Bible
But we cannot give them our daughters as wives." For the Israelites had sworn, "Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
We moun not yyue oure douytris to hem, for we ben boundun with an ooth and cursyng, bi which we seiden, Be he cursid that yyueth of hise douytris a wijf to Beniamyn.
Young's Literal Translation
and we -- we are not able to give to them wives out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [is] he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.'
Update Bible Version
Nevertheless we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that gives a wife to Benjamin.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
New King James Version
However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, "Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin."'
New Living Translation
But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God's curse."
New Life Bible
But we cannot give them our daughters for wives." For the men of Israel had promised, "A curse will come to the one who gives a wife to Benjamin."
New Revised Standard
Yet we cannot give any of our daughters to them as wives." For the Israelites had sworn, "Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin."
Douay-Rheims Bible
For as to our own daughters we cannot give them, being bound with an oath and a curse, whereby we said: Cursed be he that shall give Benjamin any of his daughters to wife.
Revised Standard Version
Yet we cannot give them wives of our daughters." For the people of Israel had sworn, "Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But we cannot give them wives of our daughters." For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, "Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin."

Contextual Overview

16 So then, the elders of the assembly said, What are we to do for them who remain, for wives, - for womankind, hath been destroyed out of Benjamin? 17 And they said, There is an inheritance for the escaped of Benjamin, - and there must not be wiped out, a tribe, out of Israel. 18 Yet, we, may not give them wives, of our own daughters, For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed, be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 19 Then said they - Lo! the festival of Yahweh in Shiloh, from year to year, Which Shiloh is on the north of Bethel, towards sunrise, by the highway that goeth up from Bethel, towards Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, - Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21 and look, and lo! if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then shall ye come forth out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife, of the daughters of Shiloh, - and go your way to the land of Benjamin. 22 And it shall be, when their fathers, or their brethren, come in to complain to us, that we will say unto them - As a favour to us, grant them, because we took not for each man his wife in the battle, - for, ye yourselves, gave them not unto them, so as, now, to be guilty. 23 And the sons of Benjamin did so, and carried off wives, according to their number, of them who were dancing, whom they seized, - and they went their way, and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt therein. 24 And the sons of Israel at that time went their several ways from thence, every man to his own tribe, and to his own family, - yea they went forth from thence, every man to his own inheritance. 25 In those days, there was no king in Israel, - every man did, that which was right in his own eyes.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sworn: Judges 21:1, Judges 11:35

Reciprocal: Leviticus 5:4 - to do evil Leviticus 27:28 - no devoted Judges 21:5 - a great oath Judges 21:7 - sworn Judges 21:22 - give unto Matthew 26:74 - began

Cross-References

Genesis 16:10
And the messenger of Yahweh said to her, I will, greatly multiply, thy seed - so that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
Genesis 17:20
Yet as for Ishmael, I have heard thee; o! I have blessed trim and will make him fruitful, and multiply him, exceedingly, - twelve princes, shall he beget, and I will grant him to be a great nation;
Genesis 21:12
And God said unto Abraham Let it not be grievous in thine eyes concerning the boy and concerning thy bondwoman, In all that Sarah may say unto thee, hearken to her voice, - For in Isaac, shall there be called to thee - a seed.
Genesis 21:13
Yet even the son of the bondwoman, will I appoint to become, a nation, because thy seed, he is.
Genesis 21:18
Arise lift up the boy, and hold him up with thy hand, - for, a great nation, will I make him.
Genesis 21:29
And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What, then mean these seven young sheep here, which thou hast set by themselves?
Genesis 21:31
On this account, was the name of that place called Beer-sheba, - because there, had they two sworn.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Howbeit, we may not give them wives of our daughters,.... Though their case was so very necessitous and desperate:

for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin, Judges 21:1 and therefore without the violation of their oath could not give any of their daughters in marriage to them: wherefore some other way must be devised to help them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For the children of Israel have sworn - See Judges 21:1. Compare Saul’s rash oath 1 Samuel 14:24, and his breach of the oath made to the Gideonites 2 Samuel 21:2. For the guilt of a broken oath, see Ezekiel 17:15-20; Exodus 20:7.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile