19th June

¹ Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.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;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?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.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.⁶ And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.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?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.⁹ For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.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.¹¹ And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.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.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.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.¹⁵ And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.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?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.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.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.²⁰ Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;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.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.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.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.²⁵ In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

¹ But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.² When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.³ For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.⁴ Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.⁵ Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;⁶ I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;⁷ Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.⁸ Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.⁹ Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.¹⁰ Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.¹¹ I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.¹² I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.¹³ Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?¹⁴ Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.¹⁵ I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.¹⁶ Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;¹⁷ Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.¹⁸ Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.²⁰ The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.²¹ This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.²² But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.²³ Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.²⁴ Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.²⁵ I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.²⁶ Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.²⁷ Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.²⁸ Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

¹ The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;² For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.³ Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.⁴ I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.⁵ And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.⁶ And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.⁷ For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.⁸ Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.⁹ Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.¹⁰ If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:¹¹ For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.¹² Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.¹³ The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

¹ The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.² Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.³ For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.⁵ Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;⁶ Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:⁷ Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.⁸ We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.⁹ I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.¹⁰ Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.¹¹ Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.¹² Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.¹³ I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:¹⁴ But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.