Judges 21
1 The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, “None of us will allow our daughters to marry a Benjamite.”
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。」
2 The Israelites went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, crying loudly in distress.
以色列人來到伯特利，坐在上帝面前直到晚上，放聲痛哭，
3 “Lord, God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel?” they asked. “Today one of our tribes is missing from Israel.”
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？」
4 The next day they got up early, built an altar, and brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.
次日清早，百姓起來，在那裏築了一座壇，獻燔祭和平安祭。
5 “Which of all the tribes of Israel didn't attend the assembly we held before the Lord?” they asked. For they had sworn a sacred oath that anyone who did not come before the Lord at Mizpah would without exception be executed.
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。
6 The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin, saying, “Today one tribe has been hacked off from Israel!
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。
7 What shall we do about wives for those who are left, since we have sworn an oath before the Lord that we will not allow any of our daughters to marry them?”
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？」
8 Then they asked, “Which one of all the tribes of Israel didn't attend the assembly we held before the Lord at Mizpah?” They found out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly,
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；
9 for once they had done a head count, there was nobody there from Jabesh-gilead.
因為百姓被數的時候，沒有一個基列‧雅比人在那裏。
10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand of their best warriors there. They gave them orders, saying, “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with your swords, even the women and children.
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。
11 This is what you have to do: Destroy every male and every woman who has had sex with a man.”
所當行的就是這樣：要將一切男子和已嫁的女子盡行殺戮。」
12 They managed to find among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred virgins who had not had sex with a man. They took them to the camp in Shiloh, in the land of Canaan.
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。
13 Then the whole assembly sent a message to the Benjamites at Pomegranate Rock to tell them, “Peace!”
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。
14 So the men of Benjamin went back home, and gave to them the four hundred women from Jabesh-gilead who had been spared as wives. However, there wasn't enough for all of them.
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。
15 The people felt sorry for the Benjamites because the Lord had made this empty hole among the Israelite tribes.
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。
16 The elders of the assembly asked, “What shall we do to supply the remaining wives because all the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
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？」
17 They added, “There have to be heirs for the Benjamite survivors—an Israelite tribe of Israel can't be wiped out.
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。
18 But we can't let them have our daughters as wives, since we as the people of Israel swore a sacred oath, saying, ‘Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite is cursed!’”
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。」
19 Then they said, “Look! Every year there's the Lord's festival in Shiloh. It's held north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, south of Lebonah.”
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」；
20 So they ordered the Benjamites, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
就吩咐便雅憫人說：「你們去，在葡萄園中埋伏。
21 Keep a lookout, and when you see the young women from Shiloh come out to perform their dances, run out from the vineyards, and each of you abduct a wife for yourself and go back home to the land of Benjamin.
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。
22 If their fathers or brothers come complaining to us, we'll tell them, ‘Please do us a favor, because we couldn't find enough wives for them in the war. And it's not as if you're guilty of breaking the oath since you didn't give them in marriage.”
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。』」
23 The Benjaminites did as they were ordered. Each man grabbed one of the women dancers up to the total needed and carried her off to be his wife. Then they went back to their own land, where they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.
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。
24 Then the Israelites left and went home to their tribes and families, each one going to the land they owned.
當時以色列人離開那裏，各歸本支派、本宗族、本地業去了。
25 At that time Israel didn't have a king—everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.
那時，以色列中沒有王，各人任意而行。
