士師記 21
1 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。」
When the Israeli men gathered at Mizpah [before the battle started], they vowed, “None of us will ever allow one of our daughters to marry any man from the tribe of Benjamin!”
2 以色列人來到伯特利，坐在上帝面前直到晚上，放聲痛哭，
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 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？」
They kept saying, “Yahweh, God of us Israeli people, [it is as though] one of the tribes of us Israelis does not exist any more! (Why has this happened to us?/It is terrible that this has happened to us!)” [RHQ]
4 次日清早，百姓起來，在那裏築了一座壇，獻燔祭和平安祭。
Early the next morning the people built an altar. Then they completely burned some sacrifices [on the altar], and also offered other sacrifices to maintain fellowship with God.
5 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。
Then, because they had vowed that anyone who did not meet with them at Mizpah [to help fight the men of the tribe of Benjamin] would be killed, they asked among themselves, “Were there any of the tribes of Israel who did not come to Mizpah to meet with us in the presence of Yahweh?”
6 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。
The Israelis felt sorry for their fellow Israelis from the tribe of Benjamin. They said, “Today one of our Israeli tribes (has disappeared/no longer exists).
7 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？」
Yahweh heard us solemnly declare that we would not allow any of our daughters to marry any man from the tribe of Benjamin. What can we do to make certain that the men of the tribe of Benjamin who were not killed will have wives?”
8 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；
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 因為百姓被數的時候，沒有一個基列‧雅比人在那裏。
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 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。
So all the Israelis decided to send 12,000 very good soldiers to Jabesh-Gilead to kill the people there with their swords, even to kill the married women and children.
11 所當行的就是這樣：要將一切男子和已嫁的女子盡行殺戮。」
[They told this to those men]: “This is what you must do: You must kill every man in Jabesh-Gilead. You must also kill every married woman. [But do not kill the unmarried women].”
12 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。
So those soldiers [went to Jabesh-Gilead and killed all the men, married women, and children. But they] found 400 unmarried young women there. So they brought them to their camp at Shiloh, in Canaan, [across the river from the Gilead area that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin].
13 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。
Then all the Israelis [who had gathered] sent a message to the 600 men who were at Rimmon Rock. They said that they would like to make peace with them.
14 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。
So the men came back from Rimmon Rock. The Israelis gave to them the women from Jabesh-Gilead whom they had not killed. But there were [only 400 women. But there were] not enough women [for those 600 men].
15 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。
The Israelis [still] felt sorry for the men of the tribe of Benjamin, because Yahweh had (decimated/almost wiped out) one of the Israeli tribes.
16 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？」
The Israeli leaders said, “We have killed all the married women of the tribe of Benjamin. Where can we get women to be wives of the men who are still alive?
17 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。
These men must have wives to give birth to children, in order that their families will continue. If that does not happen, all the people of one of the tribes of Israel will die.
18 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。」
But we cannot allow our daughters to marry these men, because we vowed that Yahweh will curse anyone who gives one of his daughters to become a wife of any man of the tribe of Benjamin.”
19 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」；
Then [one of] them (had an idea/thought of something that they could do). He said, “Every year there is a festival to honor Yahweh at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel and east of the road that extends from Bethel to Shechem, and it is south of Lebonah [city].”
20 就吩咐便雅憫人說：「你們去，在葡萄園中埋伏。
So the Israeli leaders told the men of the tribe of Benjamin, “[When it is the time for that festival], go to Shiloh and hide in the vineyards.
21 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。
Keep watching for the young women to come out of the city to dance. [When they come out], all of you should run out of the vineyards. Each of you can seize one of the young women of Shiloh. Then you can all return to your homes [with those women].
22 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。』」
If their fathers or brothers come to us and complain [about what you have done], we will say to them, ‘Be kind to the men of the tribe of Benjamin. When we fought them, we did not leave any women alive to become their wives, and you did not give those young women to the men from the tribe of Benjamin. [They stole them]. So you will not be guilty, [even though you said that you would not allow any of your daughters to marry one of them].’”
23 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。
So that is what the men of the tribe of Benjamin did. [They went to Shiloh at the time of the festival]. And when the young women were dancing, each man caught one of them and took her away and married her. Then they took their wives back to the land that God had given to them. They rebuilt their cities [that had been burned down], and they lived there.
24 當時以色列人離開那裏，各歸本支派、本宗族、本地業去了。
The other Israelis went to their homes in the areas where their tribes and clans lived, the areas that God had allotted to them.
25 那時，以色列中沒有王，各人任意而行。
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
