士師記 第 21 章

And the sons of Israel swore in Massepha, saying, "No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife."

And the people came to Baithel and sat there until evening before God, and they lifted up their voice and wept a great weeping.

And they said, "To what end, O Lord God of Israel, has this come about, that one tribe should be missing from Israel today?"

And it came to pass on the next day that the people rose early and built there an altar and offered up whole burnt offerings and offerings of completion.

And the sons of Israel said, "Who from all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the Lord?" For a great oath had been laid on those who had not come up to the Lord at Massepha, saying, "He shall surely be put to death."

And the sons of Israel were moved with pity toward Benjamin their brother, and they said, "Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.

What shall we do for those remaining who are left, concerning wives? For we have sworn by the Lord not to give them of our daughters for wives."

And they said, "Which one from the tribes of Israel is there that did not go up to the Lord at Massepha?" And behold, no man had come to the camp from Iabis Galaad, to the assembly.

And the people were mustered, and there was no man there from the inhabitants of Iabis Galaad.

And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men from the sons of valour, and commanded them, saying, "Go and strike the inhabitants of Iabis Galaad with the mouth of the sword.

And this you shall do: every male, and every woman who has known the bed of a male, you shall devote to destruction; but the virgins you shall preserve." And they did so.

And they found among the inhabitants of Iabis Galaad four hundred young virgins who had not known a man in the bed of a male, and they brought them to the camp, to Selon which is in the land of Chanaan.

And the whole congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin at the rock of Remmon, and called them to peace.

And Benjamin returned to the sons of Israel at that time, and the sons of Israel gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the daughters of Iabis Galaad; and it pleased them so.

And the people were moved with pity over Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

And the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for those who remain, concerning wives, since woman has been wiped out from Benjamin?"

And they said, "There must be an inheritance for those of Benjamin who are preserved, and a tribe shall not be blotted out from Israel.

For we shall not be able to give them wives from our daughters, because we swore among the sons of Israel, saying, 'Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.'"

And they said, "Behold now, there is a feast of the Lord at Selon from days to days, which is north of Baithel, toward the risings of the sun, on the road that goes up from Baithel to Sychem, and south of Lebona."

And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, "Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,

and you shall watch, and behold, if the daughters of the inhabitants of Selon come out to dance in the dances, then you shall come out from the vineyards and seize for yourselves, each man a wife from the daughters of Selon, and go to the land of Benjamin.

And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to contend with you, we will say to them, 'Show us mercy in the matter of them, for we did not take, each man his wife, in the battle; for it was not you who gave them to them—as at that time, you have transgressed.'"

And the sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number from the dancing women whom they had seized; and they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.

And the sons of Israel walked away from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his kindred; and they went out from there, each man to his inheritance.

And in those days there was no king in Israel; a man did what was right before himself.