Iudicum 21
1 iuraverunt quoque filii Israhel in Maspha et dixerunt nullus nostrum dabit filiis Beniamin de filiabus suis uxorem
The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, “None of us will allow our daughters to marry a Benjamite.”
2 veneruntque omnes ad domum Dei in Silo et in conspectu eius sedentes usque ad vesperam levaverunt vocem et magno ululatu coeperunt flere dicentes
The Israelites went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, crying loudly in distress.
3 quare Domine Deus Israhel factum est hoc malum in populo tuo ut hodie una tribus auferretur ex nobis
“Lord, God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel?” they asked. “Today one of our tribes is missing from Israel.”
4 altera autem die diluculo consurgentes extruxerunt altare obtuleruntque ibi holocausta et pacificas victimas et dixerunt
The next day they got up early, built an altar, and brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.
5 quis non ascendit in exercitu Domini de universis tribubus Israhel grandi enim se iuramento constrinxerant cum essent in Maspha interfici eos qui defuissent
“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.
6 ductique paenitentia filii Israhel super fratre suo Beniamin coeperunt dicere ablata est una tribus de Israhel
The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin, saying, “Today one tribe has been hacked off from Israel!
7 unde uxores accipient omnes enim in commune iuravimus non daturos nos his filias nostras
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?”
8 idcirco dixerunt quis est de universis tribubus Israhel qui non ascendit ad Dominum in Maspha et ecce inventi sunt habitatores Iabisgalaad in illo exercitu non fuisse
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,
9 eo quoque tempore cum essent in Silo nullus ex eis ibi reppertus est
for once they had done a head count, there was nobody there from Jabesh-gilead.
10 miserunt itaque decem milia viros robustissimos et praeceperunt eis ite et percutite habitatores Iabisgalaad in ore gladii tam uxores quam parvulos eorum
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.
11 et hoc erit quod observare debetis omne generis masculini et mulieres quae cognoverunt viros interficite
This is what you have to do: Destroy every male and every woman who has had sex with a man.”
12 inventaeque sunt de Iabisgalaad quadringentae virgines quae nescierunt viri torum et adduxerunt eas in castra in Silo in terra Chanaan
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.
13 miseruntque nuntios ad filios Beniamin qui erant in petra Remmon et praeceperunt eis ut eos in pace susciperent
Then the whole assembly sent a message to the Benjamites at Pomegranate Rock to tell them, “Peace!”
14 veneruntque filii Beniamin in illo tempore et datae sunt eis uxores de filiabus Iabisgalaad alias autem non reppererunt quas simili modo traderent
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.
15 universusque Israhel valde doluit et egit paenitudinem super interfectione unius tribus ex Israhel
The people felt sorry for the Benjamites because the Lord had made this empty hole among the Israelite tribes.
16 dixeruntque maiores natu quid faciemus reliquis qui non acceperunt uxores omnes in Beniamin feminae conciderunt
The elders of the assembly asked, “What shall we do to supply the remaining wives because all the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
17 et magna nobis cura ingentique studio providendum est ne una tribus deleatur ex Israhel
They added, “There have to be heirs for the Benjamite survivors—an Israelite tribe of Israel can't be wiped out.
18 filias nostras eis dare non possumus constricti iuramento et maledictione qua diximus maledictus qui dederit de filiabus suis uxorem Beniamin
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!’”
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 Sycimam et ad meridiem oppidi Lebona
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.”
20 praeceperuntque filiis Beniamin atque dixerunt ite et latete in vineis
So they ordered the Benjamites, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
21 cumque videritis filias Silo ad ducendos choros ex more procedere exite repente de vineis et rapite eas singuli uxores singulas et pergite in terram Beniamin
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.
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
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.”
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
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.
24 filii quoque Israhel reversi sunt per tribus et familias in tabernacula sua in diebus illis non erat rex in Israhel
Then the Israelites left and went home to their tribes and families, each one going to the land they owned.
25 sed unusquisque quod sibi rectum videbatur hoc faciebat
At that time Israel didn't have a king—everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.
