士师记 21 – CCB & NIRV

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)

士师记 21:1-25

为便雅悯支派娶妻

1以色列人曾在米斯巴起誓不把女儿嫁给便雅悯人。 2他们来到伯特利,坐在上帝面前放声痛哭,直到黄昏。 3他们说:“以色列的上帝耶和华啊,以色列为何少了一个支派呢?为何发生了这样的事呢?” 4第二天,众人清早起来在那里筑了一座祭坛,献上燔祭和平安祭。 5他们彼此议论说:“我们到米斯巴聚集在耶和华面前的时候,各支派中谁没有来呢?”原来,他们曾经起誓说:凡不到米斯巴聚集在耶和华面前的人都要被处死。 6以色列人为他们的同胞便雅悯人难过,说:“如今以色列绝了一个支派。 7我们曾经在耶和华面前起誓,决不把女儿嫁给便雅悯人,现在我们应该怎么办才能使他们剩下来的人得到妻子呢?”

8他们又查问各支派中谁没有到米斯巴聚集在耶和华面前,结果发现基列·雅比人缺席, 9因为点兵的时候,没有一个基列·雅比人在场。 10于是,会众派出一万二千精兵,命令他们杀掉基列·雅比人及其妇女和孩子。 11他们对精兵说:“你们所要做的就是消灭所有的男子和已婚妇女。” 12他们在基列·雅比的居民中找到四百名处女,把她们带回迦南示罗营地。

13全体会众又派人到临门岩去跟便雅悯人讲和。 14于是,便雅悯人返回了家乡,以色列人把从基列·雅比居民中留下来的四百个处女给他们做妻子,但还是不够。 15众人为便雅悯支派难过,因为耶和华使以色列少了一个支派。

16会众的长老说:“便雅悯支派的女子都死了,我们应该怎么办才能使余下的人有妻子呢? 17便雅悯的余民必须成家立后,以免以色列失去一个支派。 18可是我们又不能把女儿嫁给他们,因为我们曾经起誓,‘把女儿嫁给便雅悯人的必受咒诅。’” 19有人想起在示罗每年都有耶和华的节期。示罗利波拿以南、伯特利以北至示剑的大路东面。 20于是,他们对便雅悯人说:“你们埋伏在葡萄园里, 21见到示罗的女子出来跳舞时,就冲出去各自抢一个,带回便雅悯做妻子。 22倘若她们的父亲或弟兄前来抱怨,我们会说,‘求你们恩待我们,因为我们从战场上带回的女子不够分给他们做妻子。何况又不是你们把女儿嫁给他们的,所以罪不在你们。’” 23便雅悯人就依计行事,从跳舞的女子中各自抢了一个,带回自己的家乡做妻子。他们重建城邑,住在其中。 24于是,以色列人离开那里,各回自己的支派、宗族和家园。

25那时候,以色列人没有王,人人各行其是。

New International Reader’s Version

Judges 21:1-25

Wives for the Men of Benjamin

1The men of Israel had made a promise at Mizpah. They had said, “Not one of us will give his daughter to be married to a man from Benjamin.”

2The people went to Bethel. They sat there until evening in front of God. They wept loudly and bitterly. 3Lord, you are the God of Israel,” they cried. “Why has this happened to Israel? Why is one tribe missing from Israel today?”

4Early the next day the people built an altar. They brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.

5Then the Israelites asked, “Has anyone failed to come here in front of the Lord? Is anyone missing from all the tribes of Israel?” The people had made a promise. They had said that anyone who failed to come to Mizpah in front of the Lord must be put to death.

6The Israelites were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. After all, they were their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel,” they said. 7“How can we provide wives for the men who are left? We’ve made a promise in front of the Lord. We’ve promised not to give any of our daughters to be married to them.” 8Then they asked, “Has any tribe of Israel failed to come here to Mizpah in front of the Lord?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come. No one from there had gathered together with the others in the camp. 9They counted the people. They found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead had come to Mizpah.

10So the community sent 12,000 fighting men to Jabesh Gilead. They directed them to take their swords and kill those living there. That included the women and children. 11“Here is what you must do,” they said. “Kill every male. Also kill every woman who is not a virgin.” 12They found 400 young women in Jabesh Gilead who had never slept with a man. So they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.

13Then the whole community sent an offer of peace to the men of Benjamin. The men were at the rock of Rimmon. 14So the men of Benjamin returned at that time. They were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there weren’t enough women for all of them.

15The people were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. The Lord had left a gap in the tribes of Israel. They weren’t complete without Benjamin. 16The elders of the community spoke up. They said, “All the women of Benjamin have been wiped out. So how will we find wives for the men who are left? 17The men of Benjamin who are still alive need to have children,” they said. “If they don’t, a tribe of Israel will be wiped out. 18But we can’t give them our daughters to be their wives. We Israelites have made a promise. We’ve said, ‘May anyone who gives a wife to a man from Benjamin be under the Lord’s curse.’ 19Look, a feast is celebrated every year in Shiloh to honor the Lord. Shiloh is north of Bethel. It’s east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. It’s south of Lebonah.”

20So they told the men of Benjamin what to do. They said, “Go. Hide in the vineyards 21and watch. The young women of Shiloh will come out. They’ll join in the dancing. When they do, run out of the vineyards. Each of you grab a young woman from Shiloh to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22Their fathers or brothers might not be happy with what we’re doing. If they aren’t, we’ll say to them, ‘Do us a favor. Help the men of Benjamin. We didn’t get wives for them during the battle. You aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. After all, you didn’t give your daughters to them. Your daughters were stolen from you.’ ”

23So that’s what the men of Benjamin did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one. He carried her away to be his wife. Then the men returned to their own share of land. They built the towns again. They made their homes in them.

24At that time the Israelites also left. They went home to their tribes and family groups. Each one went to his own share of land.

25In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.