Judges 21
1 Now, the men of Israel, had sworn in Mizpah, saying, —Not a man from among us, shall give his daughter unto Benjamin, to wife.
Iuraverunt quoque filii Israel in Maspha et dixerunt: Nullus nostrum dabit filiis Beniamin de filiabus suis uxorem.
2 So then the people came to Bethel, and abode there, until the evening, before God, —and lifted up their voice, and wept bitterly,
Veneruntque omnes ad domum Dei in Silo, et in conspectu eius sedentes usque ad vesperam, levaverunt vocem, et magno ululatu cœperunt flere, dicentes:
3 and said, Wherefore, O Yahweh, God of Israel, hath this come about in Israel, —that there should be lacking, to-day, out of Israel, one tribe?
Quare Domine Deus Israel factum est hoc malum in populo tuo, ut hodie una tribus auferretur ex nobis?
4 And it came to pass, on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there, an altar, —and offered ascending-sacrifices, and peace-offerings.
Altera autem die diluculo consurgentes, extruxerunt altare: obtuleruntque ibi holocausta, et pacificas victimas, et dixerunt:
5 And the sons of Israel said, Who was there that came not up, in the convocation, out of all the tribes of Israel, unto Yahweh? For, the great oath, had been taken, as to any who came not up unto Yahweh at Mizpah, saying—He shall be, put to death.
Quis non ascendit in exercitu Domini de universis tribubus Israel? Grandi enim iuramento se constrinxerant, cum essent in Maspha, interfici eos qui defuissent.
6 And the sons of Israel grieved for Benjamin, their brother, —and they said, There is cut off, to-day, one tribe out of Israel.
Ductique pœnitentia filii Israel super fratre suo Beniamin, cœperunt dicere: Ablata est tribus una de Israel,
7 What are we to do for them who remain, for wives, —seeing that, we ourselves, have sworn by Yahweh, not to give them of our daughters, for wives?
unde uxores accipient? Omnes enim in commune iuravimus, non daturos nos his filias nostras.
8 So they said, What one of the tribes of Israel is there, that hath not come up unto Yahweh at Mizpah? And lo! no man had come into the camp, out of Jabesh-gilead, unto the convocation:
Idcirco dixerunt: Quis est de universis tribubus Israel, qui non ascendit ad Dominum in Maspha? Et ecce inventi sunt habitatores Iabes Galaad in illo exercitu non fuisse.
9 When the people were numbered, lo! there was not there a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.
(Eo quoque tempore cum essent in Silo, nullus ex eis ibi repertus est.)
10 So the assembly sent thither twelve thousand men, of the sons of valour, —and commanded them, saying: —Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, with the edge of the sword, with the women, and the little ones.
Miserunt itaque decem millia viros robustissimos, et præceperunt eis: Ite, et percutite habitatores Iabes Galaad in ore gladii, tam uxores quam parvulos eorum.
11 And, this, is the thing that ye shall do, —Every male, and every woman that hath cohabited with man, shall ye devote to destruction.
Et hoc erit quod observare debebitis: Omne generis masculini, et mulieres, quæ cognoverunt viros, interficite, virgines autem reservate.
12 And they found—of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead—four hundred young women, virgins, who had not cohabited with man, —so they brought them into the camp, at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
Inventæque sunt de Iabes Galaad quadringentæ virgines, quæ nescierunt viri thorum, et adduxerunt eas ad castra in Silo, in Terram Chanaan.
13 Then the whole assembly sent, and spake unto the sons of Benjamin, who were in the cliff Rimmon, —and proclaimed to them, peace.
Miseruntque nuncios ad filios Beniamin, qui erant in Petra Remmon, et præceperunt eis, ut eos susciperent in pace.
14 So Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, —but they found not for them [to suffice], even so.
Veneruntque filii Beniamin in illo tempore, et datæ sunt eis uxores de filiabus Iabes Galaad: alias autem non repererunt, quas simili modo traderent.
15 Now, the assembly, had grieved for Benjamin, —because Yahweh had made a breach, in the tribes of Israel.
Universusque Israel valde doluit, et egit pœnitentiam super interfectione unius tribus ex Israel.
16 So then, the elders of the assembly said, What are we to do for them who remain, for wives, —for womankind, hath been destroyed out of Benjamin?
Dixeruntque maiores natu: Quid faciemus reliquis, qui non acceperunt uxores? Omnes in Beniamin feminæ conciderunt,
17 And they said, There is an inheritance for the escaped of Benjamin, —and there must not be wiped out, a tribe, out of Israel.
et magna nobis cura, ingentique studio providendum est, ne una tribus deleatur ex Israel.
18 Yet, we, may not give them wives, of our own daughters, For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed, be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
Filias enim nostras eis dare non possumus, constricti iuramento et maledictione, qua diximus: Maledictus qui dederit de filiabus suis uxorem Beniamin.
19 Then said they—Lo! the festival of Yahweh in Shiloh, from year to year, Which [Shiloh] is on the north of Bethel, towards sunrise, by the highway that goeth up from Bethel, towards Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
Ceperuntque consilium, atque dixerunt: Ecce sollemnitas Domini est in Silo anniversaria, quæ sita est ad Septentrionem urbis Bethel, et ad Orientalem plagam viæ, quæ de Bethel tendit ad Sichimam, et ad Meridiem oppidi Lebona.
20 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, —Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
Præceperuntque filiis Beniamin, atque dixerunt: Ite, ad latitate in vineis.
21 and look, and lo! if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then shall ye come forth out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife, of the daughters of Shiloh, —and go your way to the land of Benjamin.
Cumque videritis filias Silo ad ducendos choros ex more procedere, exite repente de vineis, et rapite ex eis singuli uxores singulas, et pergite in Terram Beniamin.
22 And it shall be, when their fathers, or their brethren, come in to complain to us, that we will say unto them—As a favour to us, grant them, because we took not for each man his wife in the battle, —for, ye yourselves, gave them not unto them, so as, now, to be guilty.
Cumque venerint patres earum, ac fratres, et adversum vos queri cœperint, atque iurgari, dicemus eis: Miseremini eorum: non enim rapuerunt eas iure bellantium atque victorum, sed rogantibus ut acciperent, non dedistis, et a vestra parte peccatum est.
23 And the sons of Benjamin did so, and carried off wives, according to their number, of them who were dancing, whom they seized, —and they went their way, and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt therein.
Feceruntque filii Beniamin, ut sibi fuerat imperatum: et iuxta numerum suum rapuerunt sibi de his, quæ ducebant choros, uxores singulas: abieruntque in possessionem suam ædificantes urbes, et habitantes in eis.
24 And the sons of Israel at that time went their several ways from thence, every man to his own tribe, and to his own family, —yea they went forth from thence, every man to his own inheritance.
Filii quoque Israel reversi sunt per tribus, et familias in tabernacula sua.
25 In those days, there was no king in Israel, —every man did, that which was right in his own eyes.
In diebus illis non erat rex in Israel: sed unusquisque quod sibi rectum videbatur, hoc faciebat.
