Judges 21:20

Amplified Bible

So they instructed the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go, set an ambush in the vineyards,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then they commanded the Benjaminites: “Go and hide in the vineyards.

Hebrew Names Version
They commanded the children of Binyamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

King James Version
Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

Lexham English Bible
They instructed the descendants of Benjamin, saying, "Go, lie in ambush in the vineyards,

English Standard Version
And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards

New Century Version
So the elders told the men of Benjamin, "Go and hide in the vineyards.

New English Translation
So they commanded the Benjaminites, "Go hide in the vineyards,

New American Standard Bible
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore they commaunded the children of Beniamin, saying, Goe, and lye in waite in the vineyardes.

Legacy Standard Bible
En hulle het die kinders van Benjamin bevel gegee en gesê: Gaan en lê en loer in die wingerde.

Contemporary English Version
The leaders told the men of Benjamin who still did not have wives: Go to Shiloh and hide in the vineyards near the festival.

Complete Jewish Bible
They ordered the men of Binyamin, "Go, hide in the vineyards,

Darby Translation
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

Easy-to-Read Version
So the elders told the men of Benjamin about their idea. They said, "Go and hide in the vineyards.

George Lamsa Translation
So they commanded the Benjamites, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

Good News Translation
They told the Benjaminites, "Go and hide in the vineyards

Literal Translation
They commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go, and you shall lie in wait in the vineyards.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they commaunded the children of BenIamin, & sayde: Go youre waye, and wayte in the vynyardes.

American Standard Version
And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

Bible in Basic English
And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore they commaunded the children of Beniamin, saying: Go, and lye in wayte in the vineyardes.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying: 'Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

King James Version (1611)
Therefore they commanded the children of Beniamin, saying, Goe and lie in wait in the vineyards.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they charged the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

English Revised Version
And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

Berean Standard Bible
So they commanded the Benjamites: "Go, hide in the vineyards

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei comaundiden to the sones of Beniamyn, and seiden, Go ye, be ye hid in the vyneris;

Young's Literal Translation
And they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, `Go -- and ye have laid wait in the vineyards,

Update Bible Version
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go, and lie in wait in the vineyards;

World English Bible
They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

New King James Version
Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, "Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,

New Living Translation
They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, "Go and hide in the vineyards.

New Life Bible
They told the men of Benjamin, "Go and hide in the grape-fields. Wait there

New Revised Standard
And they instructed the Benjaminites, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, - Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they commanded the children of Benjamin and said: Go, and lie hid in the vineyards,

Revised Standard Version
And they commanded the Benjaminites, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

THE MESSAGE
So they told the Benjaminites, "Go and hide in the vineyards. Stay alert—when you see the Shiloh girls come out to dance the dances, run out of the vineyards, grab one of the Shiloh girls for your wife, and then hightail it back to the country of Benjamin. When their fathers or brothers come to lay charges against us, we'll tell them, ‘We did them a favor. After all we didn't go to war and kill to get wives for men. And it wasn't as if you were in on it by giving consent. But if you keep this up, you will incur blame.'"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

Contextual Overview

¹⁶Then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those [men] who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?" ¹⁷They said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be wiped out from Israel. ¹⁸"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." ¹⁹So they said, "Listen, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah." ²⁰So they instructed the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go, set an ambush in the vineyards,²¹and watch; if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then you shall come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of [the tribe of] Benjamin. ²²"When their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we shall say to them, 'Give them to us voluntarily, because we did not take a wife for each man of Benjamin in battle, nor did you give wives to them, for that would have made you guilty [of breaking your oath].'" ²³So the sons of [the tribe of] Benjamin did as instructed and took wives according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried away. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and rebuilt the towns and lived in them. ²⁴The sons of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and family, and each man went from there to his inheritance. ²⁵In those days [when the judges governed] there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 10:9
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."

Genesis 16:12
"He (Ishmael) will be a wild donkey of a man; His hand will be against every man [continually fighting] And every man's hand against him; And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers."

Genesis 17:20
"As for Ishmael, I have heard and listened to you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will greatly multiply him [through his descendants]. He will be the father of twelve princes (chieftains, sheiks), and I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 21:2
So Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.

Genesis 21:3
Abraham named his son Isaac (laughter), the son to whom Sarah gave birth.

Genesis 21:23
so now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal unfairly with me [by breaking any agreements we have] or with my son or with my descendants, but as I have treated you with kindness, you shall do the same to me and to the land in which you have sojourned (temporarily lived)."

Genesis 21:24
And Abraham said, "I will swear."

Genesis 21:25
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water which the servants of Abimelech had [violently] seized [from him],

Genesis 25:27
When the boys grew up, Esau was an able and skilled hunter, a man of the outdoors, but Jacob was a quiet and peaceful man, living in tents.

Genesis 27:3
"So now, please take your [hunting] gear, your quiver [of arrows] and your bow, and go out into the open country and hunt game for me;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin,.... The two hundred men of the tribe that wanted wives; they ordered them as follows, and which they spake with authority, being the elders of the congregation, Judges 21:16

saying, go and lie in wait in the vineyards; which might belong to Shiloh, or it may be to Lebonah, which perhaps is the same with Bethlaban, famous for its wine with the Misnic writers; who say g the second places for wine are Bethrimah and Bethlaban; and I suspect that Bethrimah is the same with Bethrimmon, near which was the rock Rimmon these men were in; now this being the time of year when the vintage was just over, the vines were full of branches and leaves, under which the men might the better hide themselves; and the grapes being gathered, there were no men in the vineyards, and so might lie in wait safely, and under cover.

g Misn. Menachot, c. 8. sect. 6.