Judges 21

1 Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

1 وَأَقْسَمَ رِجَالُ إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي الْمِصْفَاةِ أَلّا يُزَوِّجَ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمُ ابْنَتَهُ لأَيِّ رَجُلٍ مِنْ سِبْطِ بِنْيَامِينَ.

2 So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly.

2 فَاجتَمَعُوا فِي بَيْتِ إِيلَ وَمَثَلُوا أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ بَاكِينَ بِمَرَارَةٍ حَتَّى الْمَسَاءِ،

3 “Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”

3 قَائِلِينَ: «لِمَاذَا يَا رَبُّ إِلَهَ إِسْرَائِيلَ قَدْ حَدَثَتْ هَذِهِ الْكَارِثَةُ فِي إِسْرَائِيلَ حَتَّى يَفْنَى أَحَدُ أَسْبَاطِ إِسْرَائِيلَ؟»

4 The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings.

4 وَبَكَّرَ الْقَوْمُ فِي صَبَاحِ الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي وَبَنَوْا هُنَاكَ مَذْبَحاً قَدَّمُوا عَلَيْهِ مُحْرَقَاتٍ وَذَبَائِحَ سَلامٍ.

5 The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.

5 وَقَالَ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ: «هَلْ تَغَيَّبَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَسْبَاطِ إِسْرَائِيلَ عَنْ حُضُورِ اجْتِمَاعِنَا أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ فِي الْمِصْفَاةِ، لأَنَّنَا أَقْسَمْنَا يَمِيناً مُغْلَظَةً أَنْ نَقْتُلَ كُلَّ مَنْ تَغَيَّبَ عَنِ الْحُضُورِ؟»

6 And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel.

6 وَاعْتَرَى النَّدَمُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى إِخْوَتِهِمْ بَنِي بِنْيَامِينَ قَائِلِينَ: «قَدِ انْقَرَضَ الْيَوْمَ أَحَدُ أَسْبَاطِ إِسْرَائِيلَ

7 What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”

7 فَمَاذَا نَعْمَلُ لِلْبَقِيَّةِ الْبَاقِيَةِ مِنْهُمْ لِنُزَوِّجَهُمْ، وَقَدْ حَلَفْنَا نَحْنُ بِالرَّبِّ أَلّا نُعْطِيَهُمْ بَنَاتِنَا؟».

8 So they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?” And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly.

8 وَتَسَاءَلُوا: «أَيُّ سِبْطٍ مِنْ أَسْبَاطِ إِسْرَائِيلَ لَمْ يَصْعَدْ لِلْمُثُولِ أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ فِي الْمِصْفَاةِ؟» وَتَبَيَّنُوا أَنَّ أَحَداً مِنْ يَابِيشَ جِلْعَادَ لَمْ يَحْضُرْ،

9 For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there.

9 لأَنَّهُمْ حِينَ أَحْصَوْا الشَّعْبَ وَجَدُوا أَنَّ أَهْلَ يَابِيشَ جِلْعَادَ جَمِيعَهُمْ قَدْ تَخَلَّفُوا عَنِ الْحُضُورِ.

10 So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children.

10 فَأَرْسَلَتِ الْجَمَاعَةُ حَمْلَةً مِنِ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ رَجُلٍ مِنْ جَبَابِرَةِ الْقِتَالِ وَأَوْصَوْهُمْ قَائِلِينَ: «انْطَلِقُوا وَاقْضُوا عَلَى أَهْلِ يَابِيشَ جِلْعَادَ بَحَدِّ السَّيْفِ رِجَالاً وَنِسَاءً وَأَطْفَالاً.

11 This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.”

11 اقْتُلُوا كُلَّ ذَكَرٍ وَكُلَّ امْرَأَةٍ عَاشَرَتْ رَجُلاً».

12 So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

12 فَوَجَدُوا بَيْنَ أَهْلِ يَابِيشَ جِلْعَادَ أَرْبَعَ مِئَةِ فَتَاةٍ عَذْرَاءَ فَقَطْ لَمْ يُضَاجِعْنَ رَجُلاً، فَجَاءُوا بِهِنَّ إِلَى الْمُخَيَّمِ إِلَى شِيلُوهَ الَّتِي فِي أَرْضِ كَنْعَانَ.

13 Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon.

13 وَبَعَثَتِ الْجَمَاعَةُ كُلُّهَا بِوَفْدٍ وَخَاطَبَتْ أَبْنَاءَ بِنْيَامِينَ الْمُعْتَصِمِينَ فِي صَخْرَةِ رِمُّونَ وَاسْتَدْعَتْهُمْ لِلصُّلْحِ.

14 And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.

14 فَرَجَعَ الْبَنْيَامِينِيُّونَ آنَئِذٍ، فَأَعْطَوْهُمُ الْفَتَيَاتِ اللَّوَاتِي اسْتَحْيَوْهُنَّ مِنْ بَنَاتِ يَابِيشَ جِلْعَادَ فَلَمْ يَكْفِينَهُمْ

15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.

15 وَانْتَابَ النَّدَمُ الشَّعْبَ مِنْ أَجْلِ مَا جَرَى لِبَنْيَامِينَ، لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ جَعَلَ ثُغْرَةً فِي أَسْبَاطِ إِسْرَائِيلَ.

16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”

16 فَقَالَ شُيُوخُ الْجَمَاعَةِ: «كَيْفَ نَحْصُلُ عَلَى زَوْجَاتٍ لِرِجَالِ بِنْيَامِينَ الْبَاقِينَ بَعْدَ أَنِ انْقَرَضَتِ النِّسَاءُ مِنْ سِبْطِهِمْ،

17 They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.

17 إِذْ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَكُونَ وَرَثَةٌ لِلنَّاجِينَ مِنْ بَنِي بِنْيَامِينَ، فَلا يَنْقَرِضُ سِبْطٌ مِنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ،

18 But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”

18 لأَنَّنَا نَحْنُ لَا نَقْدِرُ أَنْ نُزَوِّجَهُمْ مِنْ بَنَاتِنَا بَعْدَ أَنْ أَقْسَمْنَا قَائِلِينَ:’مَلْعُونٌ مَنْ يُزَوِّجُ امْرَأَةً لِرَجُلٍ بِنْيَامِينِيٍّ‘».

19 “But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

19 ثُمَّ قَالُوا: «هُنَاكَ احْتِفَالٌ سَنَوِيٌّ فِي شِيلُوهَ شِمَالِيَّ بَيْتِ إِيلَ شَرْقِيَّ الطَّرِيقِ الْمُتَّجِهَةِ مِنْ بَيْتِ إِيلَ إِلَى شَكِيمَ وَجَنُوبِيَّ لَبُونَةَ.

20 So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards

20 فَأَوْصَوْا بَنِي بِنْيَامِينَ قَائِلِينَ: انْطَلِقُوا إِلَى الْكُرُومِ وَاكْمِنُوا فِيهَا.

21 and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

21 وَانْتَظِرُوا حَتَّى إِذَا خَرَجَتْ بَنَاتُ شِيلُوهَ لِلرَّقْصِ فَانْدَفِعُوا أَنْتُمْ نَحْوَهُنَّ، وَاخْطِفُوا لأَنْفُسِكُمْ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ امْرَأَةً وَاهْرُبُوا بِهِنَّ إِلَى أَرْضِ بِنْيَامِينَ.

22 When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’”

22 فَإِذَا جَاءَ آبَاؤُهُنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَتُهُنَّ لِكَيْ يَشْكُوا إِلَيْنَا نُجِيبُهُمْ: تَعَطَّفُوا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَجْلِنَا، لأَنَّنَا لَمْ نَحْصُلْ عَلَى زَوْجَةٍ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ فِي حَرْبِنَا مَعَ أَهْلِ يَابِيشَ جِلْعَادَ، وَأَنْتُمْ لَمْ تُزَوِّجُوهُمْ مِنْ بَنَاتِكُمْ عَنْ طِيبِ خَاطِرٍ فَتَأْثَمُوا».

23 The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them.

23 وَهَكَذَا صَنَعَ رِجَالُ بِنْيَامِينَ، فَقَدِ اخْتَطَفُوا الْعَدَدَ الْكَافِي مِنَ الرَّاقِصَاتِ وَتَزَوَّجُوا مِنْهُنَّ، وَرَجَعُوا إِلَى دِيَارِهِمْ وَعَمَّرُوا الْمُدُنَ وَأَقَامُوا فِيهَا.

24 And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance.

24 ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ، مُنْذُ ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ، كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ إِلَى سِبْطِهِ وَعَشِيرَتِهِ، عَائِدِينَ إِلَى أَرْضِ مِيرَاثِهِمْ.

25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

25 فِي تِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ لَمْ يَكُنْ مَلِكٌ عَلَى إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَكَانَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ يَعْمَلُ مَا حَسُنَ فِي عَيْنَيْهِ.