¹为便雅悯人娶妻

¹And the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, `None of us doth give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.`

²众人来到伯特利，在那里坐在　神面前直到晚上，放声大哭，

²And the people come in to Beth-El, and sit there till the evening before God, and lift up their voice, and weep — a great weeping,

³说：“耶和华以色列的　神啊，今日以色列中缺少了一个支派，为什么在以色列中发生这事呢？”

³and say, `Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, hath this been in Israel — to be lacking to-day, from Israel, one tribe?`

⁴次日，众人清早起来，在那里筑了一座祭坛，献上燔祭和平安祭。

⁴And it cometh to pass on the morrow, that the people rise early, and build there an altar, and cause to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.

⁵以色列人彼此说：“以色列各支派中，谁没有与会众上到耶和华面前来呢？”因为他们曾经起过很严厉的誓，说：“不上米斯巴到耶和华面前的，必把他处死。”

⁵And the sons of Israel say, `Who [is] he that hath not come up in the assembly out of all the tribes of Israel unto Jehovah?` for the great oath hath been concerning him who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh, saying, `He is surely put to death.`

⁶以色列人为他们的兄弟便雅悯难过，说：“今天以色列中有一个支派被剪除了。

⁶And the sons of Israel repent concerning Benjamin their brother, and say, `There hath been to-day cut off one tribe from Israel,

⁷我们曾经指着耶和华起过誓，必不把我们的女儿给便雅悯人作妻子，那么现在我们当怎样办理，使他们剩下的人有妻子呢？”

⁷what do we do for them — for those who are left — for wives, and we — we have sworn by Jehovah not to give to them of our daughters for wives?`

⁸他们又彼此问：“以色列各支派中，有谁没有上米斯巴到耶和华面前来的呢？”他们就发现基列．雅比中没有一人去到营中会众那里。

⁸And they say, `Who is [that] one out of the tribes of Israel who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh?` and lo, none hath come in unto the camp from Jabesh-Gilead — unto the assembly.

⁹众人被数点的时候，就发现基列．雅比的居民中没有一人在那里。

⁹And the people numbered themselves, and lo, there is not there a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.

¹⁰因此会众从勇士中差派一万二千人到那里去，吩咐他们说：“你们去用刀击杀基列．雅比的居民，连妇女与孩子都要杀。

¹⁰And the company send there twelve thousand men of the sons of valour, and command them, saying, `Go — and ye have smitten the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead by the mouth of the sword, even the women and the infants.

¹¹你们要这样行，你们要把所有的男子，和所有与男子同过房的女子，完全毁灭。”

¹¹And this [is] the thing which ye do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, ye devote.`

¹²他们在基列．雅比的居民中，找到了四百个未曾与人同房，也未曾与男子同寝的年轻少女，就把她们带到迦南地的示罗营那里。

¹²And they find out of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women, virgins, who have not known man by the lying of a male, and they bring them in unto the camp at Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan.

¹³全体会众又派人到临门的磐石那里，对便雅悯人说话，向他们宣告和平。

¹³And all the company send, and speak, unto the sons of Benjamin who [are] in the rock Rimmon, and proclaim to them peace;

¹⁴那时便雅悯人回来了，以色列人就把他们保留的基列．雅比的女子给他们作妻子，但还是不够。

¹⁴and Benjamin turneth back at that time, and they give to them the women whom they have kept alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead, and they have not found for [all of] them so.

¹⁵众人为便雅悯人难过，因为耶和华使以色列众支派中有了缺口。

¹⁵And the people repented concerning Benjamin, for Jehovah had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶会众中的长老说：“便雅悯的女子既然都被除灭了，我们应怎样行，使那些余下的人有妻子呢？”

¹⁶And the elders of the company say, `What do we do to the remnant for wives — for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?`

¹⁷又说：“便雅悯逃脱的人应有地业，免得有个支派从以色列中被消灭。

¹⁷And they say, `A possession of an escaped party [is] to Benjamin, and a tribe is not blotted out from Israel;

¹⁸但是我们不能把我们自己的女儿给他们作妻子。”因为以色列人曾经起誓说：“把女儿给便雅悯人作妻子的，是可咒诅的。”

¹⁸and we — we are not able to give to them wives out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [is] he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.`

¹⁹他们又说：“看哪，每年在示罗都举行耶和华的节期；示罗就是在伯特利的北面，从伯特利上示剑的大路的东面，在利波拿的南面。”

¹⁹And they say, `Lo, a festival of Jehovah [is] in Shiloh, from time to time, which [is] on the north of Beth-El, at the rising of the sun, by the highway which is going up from Beth-El to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.`

²⁰于是他们吩咐便雅悯人说：“你们去在葡萄园中设下埋伏；

²⁰And they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, `Go — and ye have laid wait in the vineyards,

²¹在那里观看，示罗的女子出来跳舞的时候，你们就从葡萄园出来，从示罗的女子中，各抢一个作妻子，然后回便雅悯地去。

²¹and have seen, and lo, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances — then ye have gone out from the vineyards, and caught for you each his wife out of the daughters of Shiloh, and gone to the land of Benjamin;

²²如果她们的父亲或是兄弟来与我们争论，我们就对他们说：‘求你们恩待他们吧，因为我们在战场上没有给他们留下女子作妻子，而且这次又不是你们把女儿给他们；若是你们给的，你们就有罪了。’”

²²and it hath been, when their fathers or their brethren come in to plead unto us, that we have said unto them, Favour us [by] them, for we have not taken [to] each his wife in battle, for ye — ye have not given to them at this time [that] ye are guilty.`

²³于是便雅悯人照样行了：按着他们的数目，从跳舞的女子中强抢她们作妻子，然后离开那里，回到自己的地业去，重建城市，住在其中。

²³And the sons of Benjamin do so, and take women according to their number, out of the dancers whom they have taken violently away; and they go, and turn back unto their inheritance, and build the cities, and dwell in them.

²⁴那时，以色列人离开那里，各人回到自己的支派和自己的家族去；他们离开那里，各人回到自己的地业去。

²⁴And the sons of Israel go up and down thence at that time, each to his tribe, and to his family; and they go out thence each to his inheritance.

²⁵在那些日子，以色列中没有王，各人都行自己看为对的事。

²⁵In those days there is no king in Israel; each doth that which is right in his own eyes.