Iudicum 21
1 Iuraverunt quoque filii Israel in Maspha et dixerunt: Nullus nostrum dabit filiis Beniamin de filiabus suis uxorem.
Now the men of Israel had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, Not one of us will give his daughter as a wife to Benjamin.
2 Veneruntque omnes ad domum Dei in Silo, et in conspectu eius sedentes usque ad vesperam, levaverunt vocem, et magno ululatu coeperunt flere, dicentes:
And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
3 Quare Domine Deus Israel factum est hoc malum in populo tuo, ut hodie una tribus auferretur ex nobis?
And they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this fate come on Israel, that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel?
4 Altera autem die diluculo consurgentes, extruxerunt altare: obtuleruntque ibi holocausta, et pacificas victimas, et dixerunt:
Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned 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 is there among all the tribes of Israel, who did not come up to the Lord at the meeting of all Israel? For they had taken a great oath that whoever did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord was to be put to death.
6 Ductique poenitentia filii Israel super fratre suo Beniamin, coeperunt dicere: Ablata est tribus una de Israel,
And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7 unde uxores accipient? omnes enim in commune iuravimus, non daturos nos his filias nostras.
What are we to do about wives for those who are still living? For we have taken an oath by the Lord that we will not give them 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, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And it was seen that no one had come from Jabesh-gilead to the meeting.
9 (Eo quoque tempore cum essent in Silo, nullus ex eis ibi repertus est.)
For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
10 Miserunt itaque decem millia viros robustissimos, et praeceperunt eis: Ite, et percutite habitatores Iabes Galaad in ore gladii, tam uxores quam parvulos eorum.
So they (the meeting) sent twelve thousand of the best fighting-men, and gave them orders, saying, Go and put the people of Jabesh-gilead to the sword without mercy, with their women and their little ones.
11 Et hoc erit quod observare debebitis: Omne generis masculini, et mulieres, quae cognoverunt viros, interficite, virgines autem reservate.
And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so.
12 Inventaeque sunt de Iabes Galaad quadringentae virgines, quae nescierunt viri thorum, et adduxerunt eas ad castra in Silo, in Terram Chanaan.
Now there were among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never had sex relations with a man; these they took to their tents in Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13 Miseruntque nuncios ad filios Beniamin, qui erant in Petra Remmon, et praeceperunt eis, ut eas susciperent in pace.
And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
14 Veneruntque filii Beniamin in illo tempore, et datae sunt eis uxores de filiabus Iabes Galaad: alias autem non repererunt, quas simili modo traderent.
Then Benjamin came back; and they gave them the women whom they had kept from death among the women of Jabesh-gilead: but still there were not enough for them.
15 Universusque Israel valde doluit, et egit poenitentiam super interfectione unius tribus ex Israel.
And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
16 Dixeruntque maiores natu: Quid faciemus reliquis, qui non acceperunt uxores? omnes in Beniamin feminae conciderunt,
Then the responsible men of the meeting said, What are we to do about wives for the rest of them, seeing that the women of Benjamin are dead?
17 et magna nobis cura, ingentique studio providendum est, ne una tribus deleatur ex Israel.
And they said, How is the rest of Benjamin to be given offspring so that one tribe of Israel may not be put out of existence,
18 Filias enim nostras eis dare non possumus, constricti iuramento et maledictione, qua diximus: Maledictus qui dederit de filiabus suis uxorem Beniamin.
Seeing that we may not give them our daughters as wives? For the children of Israel had taken an oath, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
19 Ceperuntque consilium, atque dixerunt: Ecce sollemnitas Domini est in Silo anniversaria, quae sita est ad Septentrionem urbis Bethel, et ad Orientalem plagam viae, quae de Bethel tendit ad Sichimam, et ad Meridiem oppidi Lebona.
And they said, See, every year there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is to the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway which goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20 Praeceperuntque filiis Beniamin, atque dixerunt: Ite, ad latitate in vineis.
And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
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 watching; and if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then come from the vine-gardens and take a wife for every one of you from among the daughters of Shiloh, and go back to the land of Benjamin.
22 Cumque venerint patres earum, ac fratres, et adversum vos queri coeperint, 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 when their fathers or their brothers come and make trouble, you are to say to them, Give them to us as an act of grace; for we did not take them as wives for ourselves in war; and if you yourselves had given them to us you would have been responsible for the broken oath.
23 Feceruntque filii Beniamin, ut sibi fuerat imperatum: et iuxta numerum suum rapuerunt sibi de his, quae ducebant choros, uxores singulas: abieruntque in possessionem suam aedificantes urbes, et habitantes in eis.
So the men of Benjamin did this, and got wives for themselves for every one of their number, taking them away by force from the dance; then they went back to their heritage, building up their towns and living in them.
24 Filii quoque Israel reversi sunt per tribus, et familias in tabernacula sua.
Then the children of Israel went away from there, every man to his tribe and his family, every man went back to his heritage.
25 In diebus illis nec erat rex in Israel: sed unusquisque quod sibi rectum videbatur, hoc faciebat.
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.
