1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. 2And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 3And 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? 4And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5And 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. 6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7How 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 Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. 11And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.21.11 hath lain…: Heb. knoweth the lying with man 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 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.21.12 young…: Heb. young women virgins 13And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.21.13 to speak…: Heb. and spake and called21.13 call…: or, proclaim peace 14And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. 15And 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? 17And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 18Howbeit 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. 19Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.21.19 yearly: Heb. from year to year21.19 on the east…: or, toward the sunrising21.19 of the highway: or, on the highway 20Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21And 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. 22And 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.21.22 Be favourable…: or, Gratify us in them 23And 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. 24And 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. 25In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
為便雅憫支派娶妻
1以色列人曾在米斯巴起誓不把女兒嫁給便雅憫人。 2他們來到伯特利，坐在上帝面前放聲痛哭，直到黃昏。 3他們說：「以色列的上帝耶和華啊，以色列為何少了一個支派呢？為何發生了這樣的事呢？」 4第二天，眾人清早起來在那裡築了一座祭壇，獻上燔祭和平安祭。 5他們彼此議論說：「我們到米斯巴聚集在耶和華面前的時候，各支派中誰沒有來呢？」原來，他們曾經起誓說：凡不到米斯巴聚集在耶和華面前的人都要被處死。 6以色列人為他們的同胞便雅憫人難過，說：「如今以色列絕了一個支派。 7我們曾經在耶和華面前起誓，決不把女兒嫁給便雅憫人，現在我們應該怎麼辦才能使他們剩下來的人得到妻子呢？」
8他們又查問各支派中誰沒有到米斯巴聚集在耶和華面前，結果發現基列·雅比人缺席， 9因為點兵的時候，沒有一個基列·雅比人在場。 10於是，會眾派出一萬二千精兵，命令他們殺掉基列·雅比人及其婦女和孩子。 11他們對精兵說：「你們所要做的就是消滅所有的男子和已婚婦女。」 12他們在基列·雅比的居民中找到四百名處女，把她們帶回迦南的示羅營地。
13全體會眾又派人到臨門岩去跟便雅憫人講和。 14於是，便雅憫人返回了家鄉，以色列人把從基列·雅比居民中留下來的四百個處女給他們做妻子，但還是不夠。 15眾人為便雅憫支派難過，因為耶和華使以色列少了一個支派。
16會眾的長老說：「便雅憫支派的女子都死了，我們應該怎麼辦才能使餘下的人有妻子呢？ 17便雅憫的餘民必須成家立後，以免以色列失去一個支派。 18可是我們又不能把女兒嫁給他們，因為我們曾經起誓，『把女兒嫁給便雅憫人的必受咒詛。』」 19有人想起在示羅每年都有耶和華的節期。示羅在利波拿以南、伯特利以北至示劍的大路東面。 20於是，他們對便雅憫人說：「你們埋伏在葡萄園裡， 21見到示羅的女子出來跳舞時，就衝出去各自搶一個，帶回便雅憫做妻子。 22倘若她們的父親或弟兄前來抱怨，我們會說，『求你們恩待我們，因為我們從戰場上帶回的女子不夠分給他們做妻子。何況又不是你們把女兒嫁給他們的，所以罪不在你們。』」 23便雅憫人就依計行事，從跳舞的女子中各自搶了一個，帶回自己的家鄉做妻子。他們重建城邑，住在其中。 24於是，以色列人離開那裡，各回自己的支派、宗族和家園。
25那時候，以色列人沒有王，人人各行其是。
