Judges 21
1 The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, “None of us will allow our daughters to marry a Benjamite.”
以色列人曾在米茲帕起誓說：「我們中誰也不可把自己的女兒嫁給本雅明人為妻。」
2 The Israelites went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, crying loudly in distress.
民眾來到貝特耳，在天主面前，坐在那裏，放聲大哭，直到晚上；
3 “Lord, God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel?” they asked. “Today one of our tribes is missing from Israel.”
然後說：「上主以色列的天主! 為什麼在以色列中間發生了這事，今日竟使以色列中少了一支派﹖」
4 The next day they got up early, built an altar, and brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.
次日，百姓一早起來，在那裏築了一座祭壇，獻了全燔祭與和平祭。
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.
以後，以色列子民問說：「以色列眾支派中，有誰沒有上到上主面前，參加集會呢﹖」因為他們先前對於那些凡不上米茲帕到上主面前來的人，曾發過嚴誓說：「死無赦! 」
6 The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin, saying, “Today one tribe has been hacked off from Israel!
以色列子民對他們的弟兄本雅明起了憐憫之心說：「今天以色列絕了一支派。
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?”
我們曾指著上主起過誓，決不將我們的女兒給他們為妻，那麼，我們怎樣給所剩下的人娶妻呢﹖」
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,
他們又問說：「以色列眾支派中，有那一支派沒有上米茲帕來到上主面前呢﹖」看，由基肋阿得雅貝士中沒有一人入營，參加集會。
9 for once they had done a head count, there was nobody there from Jabesh-gilead.
的確，檢閱百姓的時候，沒有一個基肋阿得雅貝士的居民在場。
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.
因此會眾打發一萬二千勇士到那裏去，吩咐他們說：「你們去用刀屠殺基肋阿得雅貝士的居民，連婦女孩子都在內。
11 This is what you have to do: Destroy every male and every woman who has had sex with a man.”
你們要這樣作；所以男子和與男子同過房的婦女，盡行殺掉，但要保留處女。」他們就這樣作了。
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.
他們在基肋阿得雅貝士居民中，尋得了四百個未曾認識過男子，也未曾與男子同過房的少年處女，就把她們帶到客納罕地史羅營裏。
13 Then the whole assembly sent a message to the Benjamites at Pomegranate Rock to tell them, “Peace!”
全會眾又打發人往黎孟岩石去，與住在那裏的本雅明子孫談判，與他們講和。
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.
本雅明子孫當時就回來了，會眾就把基肋阿得雅貝士女子中所保留的少女，給他們為妻，但是數目不足。史羅搶妻
15 The people felt sorry for the Benjamites because the Lord had made this empty hole among the Israelite tribes.
民眾仍為本雅明人傷心難過，因為上主使以色列支派中有了缺陷。
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：「本雅明的婦女既然都消滅了，我們怎樣給所剩下的人娶妻呢﹖」
17 They added, “There have to be heirs for the Benjamite survivors—an Israelite tribe of Israel can't be wiped out.
又說：「本雅民的遺民該有承嗣，免得以色列中泯沒一支。
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!’”
但是，我們不能將自己的女兒給他們為妻，因為以色列曾起誓說：誰把女兒給本雅明人是可詛咒的! 」
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.”
有人說：「看，年年在史羅舉行上主的慶節。」─使羅位於貝特耳之北，貝特耳至舍根大路之東，肋波納之南。
20 So they ordered the Benjamites, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
於是他們給本雅明子孫出主意說：「你們往葡萄園去，藏在那裏。
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.
等到你們看見史羅的童女出來列隊跳舞，你們就從葡萄園中出來，從史羅的女兒中，各搶一個為妻，然後回本雅明地方去。
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.”
她們的父親或兄弟若是出來與我們爭論，我們就說：求你們看我們的情面，恩待這些人，因為他們戰場上沒有得到女子為妻；況且又不是你們將女兒交給他們；若是你們給的，那就有罪了。」
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.
本雅明子孫就這樣作了：按數目搶跳舞的女子，各娶一個為妻；以後他們就走了，回到自己的地業，重建城邑，住在那裏。
24 Then the Israelites left and went home to their tribes and families, each one going to the land they owned.
以後以色列子民從那裏各回自己的支派和家族，從那裏各回自己的家鄉。
25 At that time Israel didn't have a king—everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.
那時，在以色列沒有君王，各人任意行事。
