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21 Por njerëzit e Izraelit ishin betuar në Mitspah, duke thënë: "Asnjë nga ne nuk do t’ja japë bijën e tij për grua një Beniaminiti".

Pastaj populli erdhi në Bethel, ku qëndroi deri në mbrëmje përpara Perëndisë; dhe ngriti zërin dhe qau me të madhe,

duke thënë: "O Zot, Perëndi i Izraelit, pse ndodhi kjo në Izrael, që sot të mungojë një fis në Izrael?".

Të nesërmen populli u ngrit herët në mëngjes, ndërtoi në atë vend një altar dhe ofroi olokauste dhe flijime falenderimi.

Pastaj bijtë e Izraelit thanë: "Cili nga fiset e Izraelit nuk ka dalë në asamble para Zotit?". Sepse kishin bërë një betim solemn kundër kujtdo që nuk kishte dalë përpara Zotit në Mitspah, duke thënë: "Ai njeri do të vritet".

Bijtë e Izraelit ishin të hidhëruar për Beniaminin, vëllanë e tyre, dhe thonin: "Sot u zhduk një fis i Izraelit.

Si do të bëjmë t’u gjejmë gra atyre që shpëtuan, sepse jemi betuar në emër të Zotit të mos u japim atyre për grua asnjë prej vajzave tona?".

Pastaj thanë: "Cili është midis fiseve të Izraelit ai që nuk ka dalë para Zotit në Mitspah?". Dhe ja që asnjeri nga Jabesi i Galaadit nuk kishte ardhur në kamp për asamblenë;

në fakt u kalua në revistë populli, u vu re që në gjirin e tij nuk kishte asnjë nga banorët e Jabesit të Galaadit.

10 Atëherë asambleja dërgoi atje dymbëdhjetë mijë burra nga më trimat dhe u dha këtë urdhër, duke thënë: "Shkoni dhe vrisni me shpatë banorët e Jabesit të Galasadit, duke përfshirë gratë dhe fëmijët.

11 Do të veproni kështu: do të shfarosni çdo mashkull dhe çdo grua që ka pasur marrëdhënie seksuale me një burrë".

12 Ata gjetën midis banoëve të Jabesit të Galaadit katërqind vajza që nuk kishin pasur marrëdhënie seksuale me burra, dhe i çuan në kamp, në Shilon, që ndodhet në vendin e Kanaanit.

13 Atëherë tërë asambleja dërgoi lajmëtarë për të folur me bijtë e Beniaminit, që ndodheshin në shkëmbin e Rimonit, dhe për t’u shpallur paqen.

14 Kështu Beniaminitët u kthyen dhe muarrën ato gra që nuk ishin vrarë në Jabes të Galaadit; por nuk pati mjaft për të gjithë.

15 Populli ishte i hidhëruar për ato që i kish bërë Beniaminit, sepse Zoti kishte hapur një të çarë midis fiseve të Izraelit.

16 Atëherë pleqtë e asamblesë thanë: "Si do të bëjmë t’u gjejmë gra atyre që kanë mbetur gjallë, mbasi gratë beniaminite janë vrarë?".

17 Pastaj thanë: "Njerëzit e Beniaminit që kanë mbetur gjallë duhet të kenë një trashëgimi, me qëllim që të mos zhduket një fis në Izrael.

18 Por ne nuk mund t’u japim atyre për bashkëshorte bijat tona," me qenë se bijtë e Izraelit ishin betuar, duke thënë: "I mallkuar qoftë ai që do t’i japë një grua Beniaminit!".

19 Atëherë thanë: "Ja, çdo vit bëhet një festë për nder të Zotit në Shiloh, që ndodhet në veri të Bethelit, në lindje të rrugës që ngjitej nga Betheli në Sikem, dhe në jug të Lebonahut".

20 Kështu u dhanë këtë urdhër bijve të Beniaminit, duke u thënë: "Shkoni dhe fshihuni në vreshtat,

21 dhe rrini e shikoni; kur vajzat e Shilohut do të dalin për të hedhur valle në kor, ju do të dilni nga vreshtat, dhe secili do të rrëmbejë gruan e tij midis vajzave të Shilohut; pastaj do të shkoni në vendin e Beniaminit.

22 Kur etërit o vëllezërit e tyre do të vinë te ne për të protestuar, ne do t’u themi: "Na i jepni, ju lutem, sepse në këtë luftë nuk kemi zënë një grua për secilin prej tyre; por në rast se nuk ua jepni atyre as në këtë rast, ju do të jeni fajtorë"".

23 Bijtë e Beniaminit vepruan kështu: morën gra simbas numrit të tyre, midis valltareve; i rrëmbyen, pastaj u nisën dhe u kthyen në trashëgiminë e tyre, i rindërtuan qytetet dhe banuan në to.

24 Në të njëjtën kohë bijtë e Izraelit u nisën që andej, secili shkoi në fisin dhe në familjen e tij, e që andej secili u kthye në trashëgiminë e tij.

25 Në atë kohë nuk kishte asnjë mbret në Izrael; secili bënte atë që i dukej e drejtë në sytë e tij.

Wives for the Benjamites

21 The men of Israel had taken an oath(A) at Mizpah:(B) “Not one of us will give(C) his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

The people went to Bethel,[a] where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing(D) from Israel today?”

Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.(E)

Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel(F) has failed to assemble before the Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death.

Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said. “How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath(G) by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?” Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead(H) had come to the camp for the assembly. For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.

10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. 11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male(I) and every woman who is not a virgin.(J) 12 They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh(K) in Canaan.

13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace(L) to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.(M) 14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.

15 The people grieved for Benjamin,(N) because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.(O) 18 We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath:(P) ‘Cursed be anyone who gives(Q) a wife to a Benjamite.’ 19 But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh,(R) which lies north of Bethel(S), east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem,(T) and south of Lebonah.”

20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing,(U) rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give(V) your daughters to them.’”

23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing,(W) each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance(X) and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.(Y)

24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.(Z)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 21:2 Or to the house of God

21 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

And said, O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?

And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the Lord? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.

For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.

11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.

14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

16 Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

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

22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.

23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

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

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