Judges 21
1 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!”
以色列人在米斯巴曾起誓说：“我们都不将女儿给便雅悯人为妻。”
2 But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
以色列人来到伯特利，坐在 神面前直到晚上，放声痛哭，
3 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]
说：“耶和华—以色列的 神啊，为何以色列中有这样缺了一支派的事呢？”
4 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.
次日清早，百姓起来，在那里筑了一座坛，献燔祭和平安祭。
5 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?”
以色列人彼此问说：“以色列各支派中，谁没有同会众上到耶和华面前来呢？”先是以色列人起过大誓说，凡不上米斯巴到耶和华面前来的，必将他治死。
6 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).
以色列人为他们的弟兄便雅悯后悔，说：“如今以色列中绝了一个支派了。
7 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?”
我们既在耶和华面前起誓说，必不将我们的女儿给便雅悯人为妻，现在我们当怎样办理、使他们剩下的人有妻呢？”
8 Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
又彼此问说：“以色列支派中谁没有上米斯巴到耶和华面前来呢？”他们就查出基列·雅比没有一人进营到会众那里；
9 [They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
因为百姓被数的时候，没有一个基列·雅比人在那里。
10 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.
会众就打发一万二千大勇士，吩咐他们说：“你们去用刀将基列·雅比人连妇女带孩子都击杀了。
11 [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].”
所当行的就是这样：要将一切男子和已嫁的女子尽行杀戮。”
12 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].
他们在基列·雅比人中，遇见了四百个未嫁的处女，就带到迦南地的示罗营里。
13 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.
全会众打发人到临门磐的便雅悯人那里，向他们说和睦的话。
14 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].
当时便雅悯人回来了，以色列人就把所存活基列·雅比的女子给他们为妻，还是不够。
15 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.
百姓为便雅悯人后悔，因为耶和华使以色列人缺了一个支派 。
16 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?
会中的长老说：“便雅悯中的女子既然除灭了，我们当怎样办理、使那余剩的人有妻呢？”
17 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.
又说：“便雅悯逃脱的人当有地业，免得以色列中涂抹了一个支派。
18 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.”
只是我们不能将自己的女儿给他们为妻；因为以色列人曾起誓说，有将女儿给便雅悯人为妻的，必受咒诅。”
19 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].”
他们又说：“在利波拿以南，伯特利以北，在示剑大路以东的示罗，年年有耶和华的节期”；
20 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.
就吩咐便雅悯人说：“你们去，在葡萄园中埋伏。
21 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].
若看见示罗的女子出来跳舞，就从葡萄园出来，在示罗的女子中各抢一个为妻，回便雅悯地去。
22 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].’”
他们的父亲或是弟兄若来与我们争竞，我们就说：‘求你们看我们的情面，施恩给这些人，因我们在争战的时候没有给他们留下女子为妻。这也不是你们将女子给他们的；若是你们给的，就算有罪。’”
23 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.
于是便雅悯人照样而行，按着他们的数目从跳舞的女子中抢去为妻，就回自己的地业去，又重修城邑居住。
24 The other Israelis went to their homes in the areas where their tribes and clans lived, the areas that God had allotted to them.
当时以色列人离开那里，各归本支派、本宗族、本地业去了。
25 At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
那时，以色列中没有王，各人任意而行。
