Judges 21
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”
Pasukan Israel kembali ke tempat ibadah TUHAN di Betel dan duduk sambil menangis tersedu-sedu di hadapan Allah sampai malam. Mereka berseru, “Oh TUHAN, Allah Israel, mengapa ini sampai terjadi di Israel? Hari ini bangsa Israel kehilangan satu suku.” Mereka berkata begitu karena sebelumnya, ketika kesebelas suku Israel mengadakan pertemuan penting umat TUHAN di Mispa, mereka sudah berjanji dengan sumpah kepada TUHAN bahwa suku-suku Israel tidak akan menikahkan anak perempuan mereka dengan orang Benyamin.
2 The people came to Bethel and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.
3 They said, “The LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?”
4 On the next day, the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
Pagi-pagi sekali keesokan harinya, mereka membangun mezbah di sana dan mempersembahkan kurban yang dibakar habis dan kurban tanda damai.
5 The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who didn’t come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”
Mereka bertanya, “Siapa dari suku-suku Israel yang tidak ikut hadir menghadap TUHAN waktu itu?” Mereka bertanya demikian karena sebelumnya mereka sudah berjanji dengan sumpah kepada TUHAN untuk menghukum mati orang-orang yang tidak menghadiri perkumpulan penting umat TUHAN di Mispa.
6 The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.
Mereka merasa kasihan kepada suku Benyamin, saudara mereka itu. Kata mereka, “Hari ini bangsa Israel kehilangan satu suku.
7 How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”
Dengan adanya sumpah janji kita kepada TUHAN untuk tidak menikahkan anak perempuan kita dengan mereka, bagaimana kita bisa menyediakan istri bagi orang-orang Benyamin yang tersisa?”
8 They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to the LORD to Mizpah?” Behold, no one came from Jabesh Gilead to the camp to the assembly.
Kemudian mereka bertanya lagi, “Siapa di antara suku-suku Israel yang tidak menghadiri perkumpulan umat TUHAN di Mispa?” Kemudian mereka menghitung orang-orang yang sedang berkumpul di Betel. Maka didapatilah bahwa ternyata tidak ada warga kota Yabes di Gilead yang hadir di sana.
9 For when the people were counted, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.
10 The congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.
Maka mereka mengutus dua belas ribu pasukan terbaik mereka untuk membunuh seluruh penduduk Yabes, baik laki-laki, anak-anak, maupun semua perempuan yang sudah menikah.
11 This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”
12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
Lalu mereka mendapatkan 400 orang perawan dari antara penduduk Yabes. Mereka membawa gadis-gadis itu ke perkemahan di Silo di daerah Kanaan.
13 The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
Kemudian perkumpulan umat itu mengirim utusan kepada orang-orang Benyamin di bukit batu Rimon untuk menawarkan perdamaian.
14 Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.
Maka orang-orang Benyamin itu kembali, dan umat Israel memberikan gadis-gadis yang dibawa dari kota Yabes untuk menjadi istri mereka. Tetapi jumlah gadis itu tidak cukup untuk semua orang Benyamin yang tersisa.
15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
Bangsa Israel merasa kasihan kepada suku Benyamin, karena TUHAN sudah membuat salah satu suku Israel hampir punah.
16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”
Kemudian tua-tua bangsa Israel bertanya, “Semua perempuan suku Benyamin sudah dibunuh, bagaimana kita bisa mendapatkan istri bagi sisa orang Benyamin selebihnya?
17 They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
Mereka harus punya keturunan karena tanah suku Benyamin harus tetap diwariskan kepada keturunan mereka, supaya bangsa Israel tidak kehilangan satu suku.
18 However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”
Tetapi kita tidak boleh menikahkan anak perempuan kita dengan mereka karena kita sudah bersumpah, ‘Biarlah TUHAN mengutuk orang Israel yang memberikan anak perempuannya menjadi istri suku Benyamin.’”
19 They said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”
Kemudian mereka berkata lagi, “Kita bisa memanfaatkan acara perayaan tahunan untuk TUHAN di Silo.” (Silo terletak di sebelah utara Betel, di sebelah selatan Lebona dan di sebelah timur jalan raya dari Betel menuju ke Sikem).
20 They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
Maka mereka menyuruh orang-orang Benyamin, “Pergilah ke perayaan di Silo itu dan bersembunyilah di kebun-kebun anggur.
21 and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
Waktu gadis-gadis kota Silo keluar untuk menari, kalian masing-masing keluarlah dari persembunyianmu di kebun anggur dan tangkaplah satu gadis. Kalian bisa membawa lari gadis itu ke wilayah suku Benyamin untuk menjadikan dia istrimu.
22 It shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we didn’t take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them; otherwise you would now be guilty.’”
Kalau ayah atau saudara mereka menuntut hal itu kepada kami, kami akan menjawab mereka, ‘Mohon maklumi dan kasihanilah orang-orang Benyamin itu, karena kita tidak mendapatkan cukup banyak istri untuk mereka waktu kita memusnahkan kota Yabes. Kalian tidak melanggar perjanjian kita kepada TUHAN, karena kalian bukan dengan sengaja memberikan anak-anak perempuanmu kepada mereka.’”
23 The children of Benjamin did so, and took wives for themselves according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them.
Maka suku Benyamin berbuat demikian. Waktu perayaan di Silo, mereka masing-masing menculik salah satu gadis yang sedang menari dan membawanya pulang ke tanah warisan mereka. Lalu orang Benyamin membangun kembali kota-kota mereka.
24 The children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they each went out from there to his own inheritance.
Kemudian pertemuan suku-suku Israel itu selesai dan setiap orang pulang ke tanah warisan mereka masing-masing.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.
Demikianlah yang terjadi pada zaman itu di Israel. Waktu itu Israel tidak punya raja. Setiap orang melakukan apa yang dianggap benar di mata mereka masing-masing.
