¹Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin as wife.”

¹Men Israels Mænd havde i Mizpa aflagt den Ed: "Ingen af os vil give en Benjaminit sin Datter til Ægte!"

²The people came to Bethel, and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.

²Da nu Folket var kommet til Betel, sad de der lige til Aften for Guds Åsyn og opløftede deres Røst, græd heftigt

³They said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?”

³og sagde: "Hvorfor, HERRE, Israels Gud, er dog dette hændet i Israel, så at vi i Dag må savne en Stamme af Israel?"

⁴It happened on the next day that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

⁴Tidligt næste Morgen byggede Folket et Alter der og ofrede Brændofre og Takofre.

⁵The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up in the assembly to Yahweh?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”

⁵Derpå sagde Israelitterne: "Hvem blandt alle Israels Stammer undlod at drage op med Forsamlingen til HERREN?" Der var nemlig svoret en dyr Ed på, at enhver, der undlod at drage op til HERREN i Mizpa, skulde dø.

⁶The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

⁶Men nu gjorde det Israelitterne ondt for deres Broder Benjamin, og de sagde: "I Dag er en Stamme hugget af Israel!

⁷How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”

⁷Hvad skal vi gøre for dem, der er tilbage, for at skaffe dem Hustruer, eftersom vi har svoret ved HERREN, at vi ikke vil give dem nogen af vore Døtre fil Ægte?"

⁸They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah?” Behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.

⁸Så spurgte de: "Er der måske en af Israels Stammer, der undlod at drage op til HERREN i Mizpa?" Og se, der var ingen kommet til Lejren, til Forsamlingen, fra Jabesj i Gilead.

⁹For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.

⁹Så blev Folket mønstret, og se, der var ingen af Indbyggerne fra Jabesj i Gilead.

¹⁰The congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.

¹⁰Da sendte Menigheden 12000 Mand af de tapreste Folk derhen med den Befaling: "Drag hen og hug Indbyggerne i Jabesj i Gilead ned med Sværdet tillige med deres Kvinder og Børn.

¹¹This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”

¹¹Således skal I bære eder ad: Alle af Mandkøn og alle Kvinder, der har haft Omgang med Mænd, skal I lægge Band på!"

¹²They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

¹²De fandt så hos Indbyggerne i Jabesj i Gilead 400 unge Piger, der var Jomfruer og ikke havde haft Omgang med nogen Mand, og dem førte de til Lejren i Silo i Kana'ans Land.

¹³The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.

¹³Derpå sendte hele Menigheden Sendebud hen for af underhandle med Benjaminiterne, der befandt sig på Rimmons Klippe, og tilbyde dem Fred.

¹⁴Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead: and yet so they weren’t enough for them.

¹⁴På det Tidspunkt vendte Benjaminiterne så tilbage, og de gav dem de Kvinder fra Jabesj i Gilead, som man havde ladet i Live. Men de var ikke nok til dem.

¹⁵The people grieved for Benjamin, because that Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

¹⁵Da gjorde det Folket ondt for Benjamin, fordi HERREN havde gjort et Skår i Israels Stammer.

¹⁶Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”

¹⁶Og Menighedens Ældste sagde: "Hvad skal vi gøre for dem, der er tilbage, for at skaffe dem Hustruer, eftersom alle Kvinder i Benjamin er udryddet?"

¹⁷They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.

¹⁷Og de sagde: "Hvorledes kan der reddes en Rest af Benjamin, så at ikke en Stamme i Israel går til Grunde?

¹⁸However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”

¹⁸Vi kan jo ikke give dem nogen af vore Døtre til Ægte!" Israelitterne havde nemlig svoret og sagt: "Forbandet være den, som giver Benjaminiterne en Hustru!"

¹⁹They said, “Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”

¹⁹Da sagde de: "Se, HERRENs Højtid fejres jo hvert År i Silo!" Det ligger norden for Betel, østen for Vejen, der fører op fra Betel til Sikem, og sønden for Lebona.

²⁰They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

²⁰Og de bød Benjaminiterne: "Gå hen og læg eder på Lur i Vingårdene!

²¹and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

²¹Se så nøje til, og når de unge Kvinder fra Silo kommer ud for at opføre deres Danse, skal I komme frem af Vingårdene og røve hver sin Hustru af de unge Kvinder fra Silo og så drage hjem til Benjamins Land!

²²It shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we didn’t take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, otherwise you would now be guilty.’”

²²Når så deres Fædre eller Brødre kommer for at gå i Rette med eder, skal I sige til dem: Skån os, thi vi fik os ikke alle en Hustru i Krigen! Det er jo ikke eder, der har givet os dem; i så Fald vilde I have forbrudt eder!"

²³The children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them.

²³Det gjorde Benjaminiterne da, og de tog sig Hustruer af de dansende Kvinder, som de røvede, een til hver; derpå vendte de tilbage til deres Arvelod, opbyggede deres Byer og boede i dem.

²⁴The children of Israel departed there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.

²⁴Og samtidig drog Israelitterne derfra, hver til sin Stamme og Slægt, og de gik derfra hver til sin Arvelod,

²⁵In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

²⁵I de Dage var der ingen Konge i Israel; enhver gjorde, hvad han fandt for godt.