士師記 21
1 イスラエルの人々曾てミヅパにて誓ひ曰けるは我等の中一人もその女をベニヤミンの妻にあたふる者あるべからずと
The sons of Israel had also taken an oath at Mizpah, and they said, “None of us shall give his daughters as a wife to the sons of Benjamin.”
2 茲に民ベテルに至り彼處にて夕暮まで神の前に坐り聲を放ちて痛く哭き
And they all went to the house of God at Shiloh. And sitting in his sight until evening, they lifted up their voice, and they began to weep, with a great wailing, saying,
3 言けるはイスラエルの神ヱホバよなんぞイスラエルに斯ること起り今日イスラエルに一の支派の缺るにいたりしやと
“Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this evil happened among your people, so that this day one tribe would be taken away from us?”
4 而して翌日民蚤に起て其處に壇を築き燔祭と酬恩祭をささげたり
Then, rising at first light on the next day, they built an altar. And they offered holocausts and victims of peace offerings there, and they said,
5 茲にイスラエルの子孫いひけるはイスラエルの支派の中に誰か會衆とともに上りてヱホバにいたらざる者あらんと其は彼らミヅパに來りてヱホバにいたらざる者の事につきて大なる誓をたてて其人をばかならず死しむべしと言たればなり
“Who, out of all the tribes of Israel, did not ascend with the army of the Lord?” For they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were at Mizpah, that whoever was not present would be slain.
6 イスラエルの子孫すなはち其兄弟ベニヤミンの事を憫然におもひて言ふ今日イスラエルに一の支派絶ゆ
And the sons of Israel, having been led to repentance over their brother Benjamin, began to say: “One tribe has been taken away from Israel.
7 我等ヱホバをさして我らの女をかれらの妻にあたへじと誓ひたれば彼の遺る者等に妻をめとらしめんには如何にすべきや
From where shall they receive wives? For we have all sworn in common that we will not give our daughters to them.”
8 又言ふイスラエルの支派の中孰の者かミヅパにのぼりてヱホバにいたらざると而して視るにヤベシギレアデよりは一人も陣營にきたり集會に臨める者なし
For this reason, they said, “Who is there, out of all the tribes of Israel, that did not ascend to the Lord at Mizpah?” And behold, the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead were found not to have been among that army.
9 即ち民をかぞふるにヤベシギレアデの居民は一人も其處にをらざりき
(Likewise, in the time when they had been at Shiloh, not one of them was found to be there.)
10 是に於て會衆勇士一萬二千を彼處に遣し之に命じて言ふ往て刃をもてヤベシギレアデの居民を撃て婦女兒女をも餘すなかれ
And so they sent ten thousand very robust men, and they instructed them, saying, “Go and strike down the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, including their wives and little ones.”
11 汝ら斯おこなふべし即ち汝等男人および男と寢たる婦人をば悉く滅し盡すべしと
And this shall be what you ought to do: “Every one of the male gender, as well as all the women who have known men, shall be put to death. But the virgins you shall reserve.”
12 彼等ヤベシギレアデの居民の中にて四百人の若き處女を獲たり是は未だ男と寢て男しりしことあらざる者なり彼らすなはち之をシロの陣營に曳きたる是はカナンの地にあり
And four hundred virgins, who had not known the bed of a man, were found from Jabesh-Gilead. And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan.
13 斯て全會衆人をやりてリンモンの磐にをるベニヤミン人と語はしめ和睦をこれに宣しめたれば
And they sent messengers to the sons of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they instructed them, so that they would receive them in peace.
14 ベニヤミンすなはち其時に歸りきたれり是において彼らヤベシギレアデの婦人の中より生しおきたるところの女子を之にあたへけるが尚足ざりき
And the sons of Benjamin went, at that time, and wives were given to them from the daughters of Jabesh-Gilead. But others were not found, whom they might give in a similar manner.
15 ヱホバ、イスラエルの支派の中に缺を生ぜしめたまひしに因て民ベニヤミンの事を憫然におもへり
And all of Israel was very saddened, and they did penance for destroying one tribe out of Israel.
16 會衆の長老等いひけるはベニヤミンの婦女絶たれば彼の遺れる者等に妻をめとらせんには如何すべきや
And those greater by birth said: “What shall we do with the remainder, those who have not received wives? For all the females of Benjamin have been cut down,
17 又言けるはベニヤミンの中の逃れたる者等に產業あらしめん然らばイスラエルに一の支派の消ることなかるべし
and we must take great care, and make provision with a very great diligence, so that one tribe may not be wiped away from Israel.
18 然ながら我等は我等の女子を彼らの妻にあたふべからず其はイスラエルの子孫誓をなしベニヤミンに妻を與ふる者は詛はれんと言たればなりと
As for our own daughters, we are not able to give them, being bound by an oath and a curse, when we said, ‘Accursed is he who will give any of his daughters to Benjamin as a wife.’”
19 而して言ふ歳々シロにヱホバの祭ありと其處はベテルの北にあたりてベテルよりシケムにのぼるところの大路の東レバナの南にあり
And they took counsel, and they said, “Behold, there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord at Shiloh, which is situated to the north of the city of Bethel, and on the eastern side of the way that one takes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of the town of Lebonah.”
20 是に於てかれらベニヤミンの子孫に命じて言ふ汝らゆきて葡萄園に伏して窺ひ
And they instructed the sons of Benjamin, and they said: “Go, and hide in the vineyards.
21 若シロの女等舞をどらんと出きたらば葡萄園より出でシロの女の中より各人妻を執てベニヤミンの地に往け
And when you will have seen daughters of Shiloh being led out to dance, according to custom, go forth suddenly from the vineyards, and let each one seize one wife from among them, and travel into the land of Benjamin.
22 若その父あるひは兄弟來りて我らに愬へなば我らこれに言ふべし請ふ幸に彼らを我らに取せよ我等戰爭の時に皆ことごとくその妻をとりしにあらざればなり汝等今かれらに與へしにあらざれば汝等は罪なしと
And when their fathers and brothers arrive, and they begin to complain against you and to argue, we will say to them: ‘Take pity on them. For they have not seized them by right of war or conquest. Instead, begging to receive them, you did not give them, and so the sin was on your part.’”
23 ベニヤミンの子孫すなはちかく行なひその踊れる者等を執へてその中より己の數にしたがひて妻を取り往てその地にかへり邑々を建なほして其處に住り
And so the sons of Benjamin did just as they had been ordered. And according to their number, they seized for themselves one wife each, out of those who were led out dancing. And they went into their own possession, and they built up their cities, and they lived in them.
24 斯てイスラエルの子孫その時に其處を去て各人その支派に往きその族にいたれり即ち其處より出て各人その地にいたりぬ
The sons of Israel also returned, according to their tribes and families, to their tents.
25 當時はイスラエルに王なかりしかば各人その目に善と見るところを爲り
In those days, there was no king in Israel. Instead, each one did what seemed right to himself.
