Suci 21
1 Izraelovi se ljudi bijahu ovako zakleli u Mispi: “Nitko od nas neće dati svoju kćer za ženu Benjaminovu sinu.”
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 I ode narod u Betel i ostade ondje pred Bogom do večeri, naričući i jecajući.
And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
3 Govorili su: “Zašto se, o Jahve, Bože Izraelov, ova nesreća morala dogoditi da Izraelu danas nestane jednog plemena?”
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 Sutradan uraniše ljudi i sagradiše ondje žrtvenik; prinesoše paljenice i žrtve zahvalnice.
Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
5 Tad zapitaše Izraelci: “Ima li koga među svim plemenima Izraelovim da nije došao na zbor Jahvi?” Jer su se svečano zakleli da će pogubiti onoga tko ne dođe u Mispu k Jahvi.
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 Izraelcima se sada sažalilo na brata Benjamina te rekoše: “Danas je otkinuto jedno pleme od Izraela.
And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7 Kako ćemo dati žene onima koji su preostali kad se zaklesmo Jahvom da im nećemo dati svojih kćeri za žene?”
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 Zato zapitaše: “Ima li koga među Izraelovim plemenima da nije došao k Jahvi u Mispu?” I pronađe se da nije došao u tabor, na zbor, nitko od žitelja Jabeša u Gileadu.
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 Jer kada se narod prebrojio, ondje ne bijaše nikoga od žitelja Jabeša u Gileadu.
For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
10 Zato zajednica posla onamo dvanaest tisuća hrabrih ljudi i zapovjedi im: “Idite i posijecite oštrim mačem stanovnike Jabeša u Gileadu, zajedno sa ženama i djecom.
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 Evo što ćete učiniti: izručit ćete prokletstvu sve muškarce i sve žene što su dijelile postelju sa čovjekom, ali ćete sačuvati život djevicama.” Tako i učiniše.
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 I našli su među stanovnicima Jabeša u Gileadu četiri stotine mladih djevojaka koje nisu dijelile postelje s čovjekom i doveli su ih u tabor u Šilu, koji je u Kanaanu.
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 Sva zajednica posla tada poslanike Benjaminovcima koji bijahu na Rimonskoj stijeni: objaviše im mir.
And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
14 Tako se oporavi Benjamin. Dadoše im one među ženama iz Jabeša u Gileadu koje su ostavili na životu, ali ih ne bijaše dovoljno za sve.
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 Narodu se sažalio Benjamin što je Jahve načinio prazninu među Izraelovim plemenima.
And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
16 “Kako ćemo naći žene onima što su ostali”, rekoše starješine zbora, “kad su Benjaminu istrijebljene žene?”
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 Rekoše još: “Kako sačuvati ostatak Benjaminu da se ne zatre jedno pleme iz Izraela?
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 A ne možemo im dati svoje kćeri za žene.” Jer se bijahu zakleli rekavši: “Proklet bio onaj koji dade ženu Benjaminu!”
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 “Ali”, rekoše, “svake se godine slavi u Šilu Jahvina svetkovina.” Grad se nalazi na sjeveru od Betela, istočno od ceste koja vodi iz Betela u Šekem i južno od Lebone.
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 I zato svjetovaše Benjaminovce: “Idite u zasjedu po vinogradima.
And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
21 Pazite, pa kada djevojke iz Šila iziđu da plešu u kolu, vi iskočite iz vinograda, otmite svaki sebi ženu između šilskih kćeri pa otiđite u Benjaminovu zemlju.
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 A kad njihovi očevi ili njihova braća dođu da se prituže na vas, mi ćemo im reći: 'Oprostite im što je svaki uzeo po ženu kao u ratu; vi im ih niste dali, pa je tako krivnja na vama.'”
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 Benjaminovci učiniše tako i od djevojaka koje oteše uzeše onoliki broj žena koliko bijaše njih. Onda odoše svaki na svoju baštinu, sagradiše opet gradove i naseliše se u njima.
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 Izraelci se tada raziđoše, svaki u svoje pleme i u svoj rod, i svaki se odande vrati na svoju baštinu.
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 U to vrijeme ne bijaše kralja u Izraelu i svatko je živio kako mu se činilo da je pravo.
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.
