Dommer 21
1 Men Israels Mænd havde i Mizpa aflagt den Ed: »Ingen af os vil give en Benjaminit sin Datter til Ægte!«
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.
2 Da nu Folket var kommet til Betel, sad de der lige til Aften for Guds Aasyn og opløftede deres Røst, græd heftigt
And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept bitterly;
3 og sagde: »Hvorfor, HERRE, Israels Gud, er dog dette hændet i Israel, saa at vi i Dag maa savne en Stamme af Israel?«
And 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?
4 Tidligt næste Morgen byggede Folket et Alter der og ofrede Brændofre og Takofre.
And it came to pass on the next morning, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5 Derpaa sagde Israeliterne: »Hvem blandt alle Israels Stammer undlod at drage op med Forsamlingen til HERREN?« Der var nemlig svoret en dyr Ed paa, at enhver, der undlod at drage op til HERREN i Mizpa, skulde dø.
And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation to 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.
6 Men nu gjorde det Israeliterne ondt for deres Broder Benjamin, og de sagde: »I Dag er en Stamme hugget af Israel!
And the children of Israel repented for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7 Hvad skal vi gøre for dem, der er tilbage, for at skaffe dem Hustruer, eftersom vi har svoret ved HERREN, at vi ikke vil give dem nogen af vore Døtre til Ægte?«
How 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 for wives?
8 Saa spurgte de: »Er der maaske en af Israels Stammer, der undlod at drage op til HERREN i Mizpa?« Og se, der var ingen kommet til Lejren, til Forsamlingen, fra Jabesj i Gilead.
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 Jabeshgilead to the assembly.
9 Saa blev Folket mønstret, og se, der var ingen af Indbyggerne fra Jabesj i Gilead.
For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.
10 Da sendte Menigheden 12 000 Mand af de tapreste Folk derhen med den Befaling: »Drag hen og hug Indbyggerne i Jabesj i Gilead ned med Sværdet tillige med deres Kvinder og Børn.
And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
11 Saaledes skal I bære eder ad: Alle af Mandkøn og alle Kvinder, der har haft Omgang med Mænd, skal I lægge Band paa!«
And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
12 De fandt saa hos Indbyggerne i Jabesj i Gilead 400 unge Piger, der var Jomfruer og ikke havde haft Omgang med nogen Mand, og dem førte de til Lejren i Silo i Kana'ans Land.
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13 Derpaa sendte hele Menigheden Sendebud hen for at underhandle med Benjaminiterne, der befandt sig paa Rimmons Klippe, og tilbyde dem Fred.
And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably to them.
14 Paa det Tidspunkt vendte Benjaminiterne saa tilbage, og de gav dem de Kvinder fra Jabesj i Gilead, som man havde ladet i Live. Men de var ikke nok til dem.
And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.
15 Da gjorde det Folket ondt for Benjamin, fordi HERREN havde gjort et Skaar i Israels Stammer.
And the people repented for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Og Menighedens Ældste sagde: »Hvad skal vi gøre for dem, der er tilbage, for at skaffe dem Hustruer, eftersom alle Kvinder i Benjamin er udryddet?«
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?
17 Og de sagde: »Hvorledes kan der reddes en Rest af Benjamin, saa at ikke en Stamme i Israel gaar til Grunde?
And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that have escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
18 Vi kan jo ikke give dem nogen af vore Døtre til Ægte!« Israeliterne havde nemlig svoret og sagt: »Forbandet være den, som giver Benjaminiterne en Hustru!«
But 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.
19 Da sagde de: »Se, HERRENS Højtid fejres jo hvert Aar i Silo!« Det ligger norden for Betel, østen for Vejen, der fører op fra Betel til Sikem, og sønden for Lebona.
Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20 Og de bød Benjaminiterne: »Gaa hen og læg eder paa Lur i Vingaardene!
Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21 Se saa nøje til, og naar de unge Kvinder fra Silo kommer ud for at opføre deres Danse, skal I komme frem af Vingaardene og røve hver sin Hustru af de unge Kvinder fra Silo og saa drage hjem til Benjamins Land!
And 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.
22 Naar saa deres Fædre eller Brødre kommer for at gaa i Rette med eder, skal I sige til dem: Skaan os, thi vi fik os ikke alle en Hustru i Krigen! Det er jo ikke eder, der har givet os dem; i saa Fald vilde I have forbrudt eder!«
And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to us to complain, that we will say to them, Be favourable to them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give to them at this time, that ye should be guilty.
23 Det gjorde Benjaminiterne da, og de tog sig Hustruer af de dansende Kvinder, som de røvede, een til hver; derpaa vendte de tilbage til deres Arvelod, opbyggede deres Byer og boede i dem.
And 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 to their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
24 Og samtidig drog Israeliterne derfra, hver til sin Stamme og Slægt, og de gik derfra hver til sin Arvelod,
And the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went from there every man to his inheritance.
25 I de Dage var der ingen Konge i Israel; enhver gjorde, hvad han fandt for godt.
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
