士師記 21
1 以色列人在米斯巴曾起誓說：「我們都不將女兒給便雅憫人為妻。」
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 以色列人來到伯特利，坐在上帝面前直到晚上，放聲痛哭，
And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
3 說：「耶和華－以色列的上帝啊，為何以色列中有這樣缺了一支派的事呢？」
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 次日清早，百姓起來，在那裏築了一座壇，獻燔祭和平安祭。
Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
5 以色列人彼此問說：「以色列各支派中，誰沒有同會眾上到耶和華面前來呢？」先是以色列人起過大誓說，凡不上米斯巴到耶和華面前來的，必將他治死。
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 以色列人為他們的弟兄便雅憫後悔，說：「如今以色列中絕了一個支派了。
And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7 我們既在耶和華面前起誓說，必不將我們的女兒給便雅憫人為妻，現在我們當怎樣辦理、使他們剩下的人有妻呢？」
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 又彼此問說：「以色列支派中誰沒有上米斯巴到耶和華面前來呢？」他們就查出基列‧雅比沒有一人進營到會眾那裏；
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 因為百姓被數的時候，沒有一個基列‧雅比人在那裏。
For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
10 會眾就打發一萬二千大勇士，吩咐他們說：「你們去用刀將基列‧雅比人連婦女帶孩子都擊殺了。
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 所當行的就是這樣：要將一切男子和已嫁的女子盡行殺戮。」
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 他們在基列‧雅比人中，遇見了四百個未嫁的處女，就帶到迦南地的示羅營裏。
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 全會眾打發人到臨門磐的便雅憫人那裏，向他們說和睦的話。
And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
14 當時便雅憫人回來了，以色列人就把所存活基列‧雅比的女子給他們為妻，還是不夠。
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 百姓為便雅憫人後悔，因為耶和華使以色列人缺了一個支派。
And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
16 會中的長老說：「便雅憫中的女子既然除滅了，我們當怎樣辦理、使那餘剩的人有妻呢？」
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 又說：「便雅憫逃脫的人當有地業，免得以色列中塗抹了一個支派。
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 只是我們不能將自己的女兒給他們為妻；因為以色列人曾起誓說，有將女兒給便雅憫人為妻的，必受咒詛。」
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 他們又說：「在利波拿以南，伯特利以北，在示劍大路以東的示羅，年年有耶和華的節期」；
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 就吩咐便雅憫人說：「你們去，在葡萄園中埋伏。
And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
21 若看見示羅的女子出來跳舞，就從葡萄園出來，在示羅的女子中各搶一個為妻，回便雅憫地去。
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 他們的父親或是弟兄若來與我們爭競，我們就說：『求你們看我們的情面，施恩給這些人，因我們在爭戰的時候沒有給他們留下女子為妻。這也不是你們將女子給他們的；若是你們給的，就算有罪。』」
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 於是便雅憫人照樣而行，按着他們的數目從跳舞的女子中搶去為妻，就回自己的地業去，又重修城邑居住。
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 當時以色列人離開那裏，各歸本支派、本宗族、本地業去了。
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 那時，以色列中沒有王，各人任意而行。
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.
