1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to the Benjaminites as wife.
2 And the people came to Bethel, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly,
3 and said, Jehovah, God of Israel, why is it come to pass in Israel, that there should be this 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 up 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 to Jehovah? For they had {made} a great oath concerning him that came not up to Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall certainly be put to death.
6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day is one tribe extirpated from Israel.
7 What shall we do for wives for them that remain? since we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters for wives.
8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpah to Jehovah? And behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead, to the congregation;
9 for the people were numbered, and behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead there.
10 And the assembly sent thither twelve thousand men of the most valiant and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, and the women and the children.
11 And this is the thing which ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain with man.
12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women that were virgins, who had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them to the camp, to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13 And the whole assembly sent to speak to the children of Benjamin that were at the cliff of Rimmon, and to proclaim peace to them.
14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them the wives whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead; but even so they found not enough for them.
15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 And the elders of the assembly said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
17 And they said, There must be a possession for those of Benjamin that have escaped, that a tribe be not blotted out of Israel.
18 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!
19 And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, toward the sun-rising of the highway that goes up from Bethel to 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 see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come 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 to complain to us, that we will say to them, Gratify us with them, because we did not take each man his wife in the war; for ye did not give them to them, that ye should now be guilty.
23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught; and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built 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 what was right in his own eyes.
1 以色列人在米斯巴曾经起誓说： "我们中间不可有人把自己的女儿嫁给便雅悯人作妻子。"
2 众人来到伯特利， 在那里坐在 神面前直到晚上， 放声大哭，
3 说： "耶和华以色列的 神啊， 今日以色列中缺少了一个支派， 为什么在以色列中发生这事呢？"
4 次日， 众人清早起来， 在那里筑了一座祭坛， 献上燔祭和平安祭。
5 以色列人彼此说： "以色列各支派中， 谁没有与会众上到耶和华面前来呢？"因为他们曾经起过很严厉的誓， 说： "不上米斯巴到耶和华面前的， 必把他处死。"
6 以色列人为他们的兄弟便雅悯难过， 说： "今天以色列中有一个支派被剪除了。
7 我们曾经指着耶和华起过誓， 必不把我们的女儿给便雅悯人作妻子， 那么现在我们当怎样办理， 使他们剩下的人有妻子呢？"
8 他们又彼此问： "以色列各支派中， 有谁没有上米斯巴到耶和华面前来的呢？"他们就发现基列．雅比中没有一人去到营中会众那里。
9 众人被数点的时候， 就发现基列．雅比的居民中没有一人在那里。
10 因此会众从勇士中差派一万二千人到那里去， 吩咐他们说： "你们去用刀击杀基列．雅比的居民， 连妇女与孩子都要杀。
11 你们要这样行， 你们要把所有的男子， 和所有与男子同过房的女子， 完全毁灭。"
12 他们在基列．雅比的居民中， 找到了四百个未曾与人同房， 也未曾与男子同寝的年轻少女， 就把她们带到迦南地的示罗营那里。
13 全体会众又派人到临门的磐石那里， 对便雅悯人说话， 向他们宣告和平。
14 那时便雅悯人回来了， 以色列人就把他们保留的基列．雅比的女子给他们作妻子， 但还是不够。
15 众人为便雅悯人难过， 因为耶和华使以色列众支派中有了缺口。
16 会众中的长老说： "便雅悯的女子既然都被除灭了， 我们应怎样行， 使那些余下的人有妻子呢？"
17 又说： "便雅悯逃脱的人应有地业， 免得有个支派从以色列中被消灭。
18 但是我们不能把我们自己的女儿给他们作妻子。"因为以色列人曾经起誓说： "把女儿给便雅悯人作妻子的， 是可咒诅的。"
19 他们又说： "看哪， 每年在示罗都举行耶和华的节期； 示罗就是在伯特利的北面， 从伯特利上示剑的大路的东面， 在利波拿的南面。"
20 于是他们吩咐便雅悯人说： "你们去在葡萄园中设下埋伏；
21 在那里观看， 示罗的女子出来跳舞的时候， 你们就从葡萄园出来， 从示罗的女子中， 各抢一个作妻子， 然后回便雅悯地去。
22 如果她们的父亲或是兄弟来与我们争论， 我们就对他们说： ‘求你们恩待他们吧， 因为我们在战场上没有给他们留下女子作妻子， 而且这次又不是你们把女儿给他们； 若是你们给的， 你们就有罪了。’"
23 于是便雅悯人照样行了： 按着他们的数目， 从跳舞的女子中强抢她们作妻子， 然后离开那里， 回到自己的地业去， 重建城市， 住在其中。
24 那时， 以色列人离开那里， 各人回到自己的支派和自己的家族去； 他们离开那里， 各人回到自己的地业去。
25 在那些日子， 以色列中没有王， 各人都行自己看为对的事。