1 Maar die manne van Israel het al in Mispa gesweer en gesê: Niemand van ons mag sy dogter aan 'n Benjaminiet as vrou gee nie.
2 En toe die manskappe in Bet-el kom, het hulle daar gebly tot die aand toe voor die aangesig van God en hulle stem verhef en geween met 'n groot geween
3 en gesê: Waarom, o HERE, God van Israel, het dit in Israel gebeur dat daar vandag een stam uit Israel vermis word?
4 Daarop het die manskappe die volgende dag vroeg klaargemaak en daar 'n altaar gebou en brandoffers en dankoffers gebring.
5 En die kinders van Israel het gesê: Wie is daar van al die stamme van Israel wat nie opgegaan het na die vergadering, na die HERE toe nie? Want daar was 'n plegtige eed teen die een wat nie opgaan na die HERE in Mispa nie -- hy moet sekerlik gedood word.
6 Toe het die kinders van Israel hulle broer Benjamin jammer gekry en gesê: Daar is vandag een stam uit Israel afgesny.
7 Wat kan ons doen vir hulle wat oorgebly het, wat vroue aanbetref? Want ons het by die HERE gesweer dat ons nie van ons dogters aan hulle as vroue sal gee nie.
8 Toe sê hulle: Wie is diegene wat van die stamme van Israel nie opgegaan het na die HERE in Mispa nie? En kyk, niemand het uit Jabes in G¡lead na die laer, na die vergadering gekom nie.
9 En die volk is getel, en daar was niemand van die inwoners van Jabes in G¡lead nie.
10 Toe stuur die vergadering daarheen twaalf duisend man uit die dapper manne en gee hulle bevel en sê: Gaan heen en slaan die inwoners van Jabes in G¡lead met die skerpte van die swaard, ook die vroue en die kinders.
11 En dit is die ding wat julle moet doen: Alles wat manlik is, en al die vroue wat die gemeenskap met die man ken, moet julle met die banvloek tref.
12 En hulle het onder die inwoners van Jabes in G¡lead vier honderd meisies aangetref, jongmeisies wat geen gemeenskap met 'n man gehad het nie, en die het hulle na die laer gebring in Silo wat in die land Kana„n lê.
13 Toe stuur die hele vergadering en hulle spreek met die kinders van Benjamin wat by die rots Rimmon was, en bied hulle die vrede aan.
14 Daarop het Benjamin in die tyd teruggekom; en hulle het die vroue wat hulle uit die vroue van Jabes in G¡lead in die lewe behou het, aan hulle gegee, maar so was daar vir hulle nie genoeg nie.
15 En die volk het Benjamin jammer gekry, omdat die HERE 'n skeuring gemaak het onder die stamme van Israel.
16 Toe sê die oudstes van die vergadering: Wat kan ons doen vir die wat oorgebly het, wat vroue aanbetref? Want die vroue was uit Benjamin verdelg.
17 Verder sê hulle: Die besitting van die wat oorgebly het, behoort aan Benjamin, sodat geen stam uit Israel mag uitgedelg word nie.
18 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.
19 Toe sê hulle: Kyk, daar is jaar vir jaar 'n fees van die HERE in Silo wat noord van Bet-el lê, oostelik van die grootpad wat opgaan van Bet-el na Sigem, en suid van Lebona.
20 En hulle het die kinders van Benjamin bevel gegee en gesê: Gaan en lê en loer in die wingerde.
21 En let op, en kyk, as die dogters van Silo uittrek om hulle koordanse uit te voer, dan moet julle uit die wingerde uitkom, en julle moet vir julle, elkeen sy vrou, uit die dogters van Silo vang en na die land Benjamin gaan.
22 En as hulle vaders of hulle broers kom om by ons 'n saak te maak, sal ons vir hulle sê: Skenk hulle aan ons, want ons het nie vir elkeen 'n vrou in die oorlog geneem nie. Julle self het hulle mos nie aan hulle gegee nie; in die geval alleen sou julle skuldig gewees het.
23 Die kinders van Benjamin het toe so gedoen: hulle het vroue volgens hulle getal weggedra uit die danseresse wat hulle geroof het; en hulle het weggegaan en teruggekeer na hul erfdeel toe, en hulle het die stede opgebou en daarin gewoon.
24 En die kinders van Israel het in daardie tyd daarvandaan weggegaan, elkeen na sy stam en na sy geslag, en hulle het daarvandaan uitgetrek, elkeen na sy erfdeel toe.
25 In die dae was daar geen koning in Israel nie: elkeen het gedoen wat reg was in sy oë.
1 Now the men of Israel had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, Not one of us will give his daughter as a wife to Benjamin.
2 And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
3 And they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this fate come on Israel, that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel?
4 Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel, who did not come up to the Lord at the meeting of all Israel? For they had taken a great oath that whoever did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord was to be put to death.
6 And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7 What are we to do about wives for those who are still living? For we have taken an oath by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters for wives.
8 And they said, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And it was seen that no one had come from Jabesh-gilead to the meeting.
9 For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
10 So they (the meeting) sent twelve thousand of the best fighting-men, and gave them orders, saying, Go and put the people of Jabesh-gilead to the sword without mercy, with their women and their little ones.
11 And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so.
12 Now there were among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never had sex relations with a man; these they took to their tents in Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13 And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
14 Then Benjamin came back; and they gave them the women whom they had kept from death among the women of Jabesh-gilead: but still there were not enough for them.
15 And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
16 Then the responsible men of the meeting said, What are we to do about wives for the rest of them, seeing that the women of Benjamin are dead?
17 And they said, How is the rest of Benjamin to be given offspring so that one tribe of Israel may not be put out of existence,
18 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.
19 And they said, See, every year there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is to the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway which goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20 And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
21 And watching; and if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then come from the vine-gardens and take a wife for every one of you from among the daughters of Shiloh, and go back to the land of Benjamin.
22 And when their fathers or their brothers come and make trouble, you are to say to them, Give them to us as an act of grace; for we did not take them as wives for ourselves in war; and if you yourselves had given them to us you would have been responsible for the broken oath.
23 So the men of Benjamin did this, and got wives for themselves for every one of their number, taking them away by force from the dance; then they went back to their heritage, building up their towns and living in them.
24 Then the children of Israel went away from there, every man to his tribe and his family, every man went back to his heritage.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.