Iudicum 21
1 Iuraverunt quoque filii Israel in Maspha et dixerunt: Nullus nostrum dabit filiis Beniamin de filiabus suis uxorem.
Now the children of Israel swore in Massephath, saying, No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.
2 Veneruntque omnes ad domum Dei in Silo, et in conspectu eius sedentes usque ad vesperam, levaverunt vocem, et magno ululatu cœperunt flere, dicentes:
And the people came to Baethel, and sat there until evening before God: and they lifted up their voice and wept with a great weeping;
3 Quare Domine Deus Israel factum est hoc malum in populo tuo, ut hodie una tribus auferretur ex nobis?
and said, Wherefore, O Lord God of Israel, has this come to pass, that to-day one tribe should be counted [as missing] from Israel?
4 Altera autem die diluculo consurgentes, extruxerunt altare: obtuleruntque ibi holocausta, et pacificas victimas, et dixerunt:
And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose up early, and built there an altar, and offered up whole-burnt-offerings and peace offerings.
5 Quis non ascendit in exercitu Domini de universis tribubus Israel? Grandi enim iuramento se constrinxerant, cum essent in Maspha, interfici eos qui defuissent.
And the children of Israel said, Who of all the tribes of Israel, went not up in the congregation to the Lord? for there was a great oath concerning those who went not up to the Lord to Massephath, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
6 Ductique pœnitentia filii Israel super fratre suo Beniamin, cœperunt dicere: Ablata est tribus una de Israel,
And the children of Israel relented toward Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day one tribe is cut off from Israel.
7 unde uxores accipient? Omnes enim in commune iuravimus, non daturos nos his filias nostras.
What shall we do for wives for the rest that remain? whereas we have sworn by the Lord, not to give them of our daughters for wives.
8 Idcirco dixerunt: Quis est de universis tribubus Israel, qui non ascendit ad Dominum in Maspha? Et ecce inventi sunt habitatores Iabes Galaad in illo exercitu non fuisse.
And they said, What one [man is there] of the tribes of Israel, who went not up to the Lord to Massephath? and, behold, no man came to the camp from Jabis Galaad to the assembly.
9 (Eo quoque tempore cum essent in Silo, nullus ex eis ibi repertus est.)
And the people were numbered, and there was not there a man from the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad.
10 Miserunt itaque decem millia viros robustissimos, et præceperunt eis: Ite, et percutite habitatores Iabes Galaad in ore gladii, tam uxores quam parvulos eorum.
And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the strongest, and they charged them, saying, Go ye and smite the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad with the edge of the sword.
11 Et hoc erit quod observare debebitis: Omne generis masculini, et mulieres, quæ cognoverunt viros, interficite, virgines autem reservate.
And this shall ye do: every male and every woman that has known the lying with man ye shall devote [to destruction], but the virgins ye shall save alive: and they did so.
12 Inventæque sunt de Iabes Galaad quadringentæ virgines, quæ nescierunt viri thorum, et adduxerunt eas ad castra in Silo, in Terram Chanaan.
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to Selom in the land of Chanaan.
13 Miseruntque nuncios ad filios Beniamin, qui erant in Petra Remmon, et præceperunt eis, ut eos susciperent in pace.
And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin in the rock Remmon, and invited them to [make] peace.
14 Veneruntque filii Beniamin in illo tempore, et datæ sunt eis uxores de filiabus Iabes Galaad: alias autem non repererunt, quas simili modo traderent.
And Benjamin returned to the children of Israel at that time, and the children of Israel gave them the women whom they [had] save alive of the daughters of Jabis Galaad; and they were content.
15 Universusque Israel valde doluit, et egit pœnitentiam super interfectione unius tribus ex Israel.
And the people relented for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Dixeruntque maiores natu: Quid faciemus reliquis, qui non acceperunt uxores? Omnes in Beniamin feminæ conciderunt,
And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
17 et magna nobis cura, ingentique studio providendum est, ne una tribus deleatur ex Israel.
And they said, [There must be] an inheritance of them that are escaped of Benjamin; and [so] a tribe shall not be destroyed out of Israel.
18 Filias enim nostras eis dare non possumus, constricti iuramento et maledictione, qua diximus: Maledictus qui dederit de filiabus suis uxorem Beniamin.
For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore among the children of Israel, saying, Cursed [is] he that gives a wife to Benjamin.
19 Ceperuntque consilium, atque dixerunt: Ecce sollemnitas Domini est in Silo anniversaria, quæ sita est ad Septentrionem urbis Bethel, et ad Orientalem plagam viæ, quæ de Bethel tendit ad Sichimam, et ad Meridiem oppidi Lebona.
And they said, Lo! now [there is] a feast of the Lord from year to year in Selom, which is on the north of Baethel, eastward on the way that goes up from Baethel to Sychem, and from the south of Lebona.
20 Præceperuntque filiis Beniamin, atque dixerunt: Ite, ad latitate in vineis.
And they charged the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21 Cumque videritis filias Silo ad ducendos choros ex more procedere, exite repente de vineis, et rapite ex eis singuli uxores singulas, et pergite in Terram Beniamin.
and ye shall see; and lo! if there come out the daughters of the inhabitants of Selom to dance in dances, then shall ye go out of the vineyards and seize for yourselves every man a wife of the daughters of Selom, and go ye into the land of Benjamin.
22 Cumque venerint patres earum, ac fratres, et adversum vos queri cœperint, atque iurgari, dicemus eis: Miseremini eorum: non enim rapuerunt eas iure bellantium atque victorum, sed rogantibus ut acciperent, non dedistis, et a vestra parte peccatum est.
And it shall come to pass, when their fathers or their brethren come to dispute with us, that we will say to them, Grant them freely to us, for we have not taken every man his wife in the battle: because ye did not give to them according to the occasion, ye transgressed.
23 Feceruntque filii Beniamin, ut sibi fuerat imperatum: et iuxta numerum suum rapuerunt sibi de his, quæ ducebant choros, uxores singulas: abieruntque in possessionem suam ædificantes urbes, et habitantes in eis.
And the children of Benjamin did so; and they took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they seized: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.
24 Filii quoque Israel reversi sunt per tribus, et familias in tabernacula sua.
And the children of Israel went thence at that time every man to his tribe and his kindred; and they went thence every man to his inheritance.
25 In diebus illis non erat rex in Israel: sed unusquisque quod sibi rectum videbatur, hoc faciebat.
And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own sight.
