Benjāmins tiek glābts no iznīcināšanas
1 Israēla vīri bija zvērējuši Micpā: “Neviens no mums nedos savu meitu benjāminietim par sievu!” 2 Tauta sanāca Bētelē, sēdēja tur Dieva priekšā līdz vakaram un jo skaļi un rūgti raudāja, 3 sacīdami: “Kungs, Israēla Dievs, kāpēc tā ir noticis Israēlam, ka šodien ir zudusi viena no Israēla ciltīm!?” 4 Nākamajā rītā agri tauta cēla tur altāri un pienesa sadedzināmos upurus un miera upurus.
5 Israēla dēli sacīja: “Kurš nav atnācis visu Israēla cilšu sapulcē pie Kunga?” – jo tie bija saistīti ar smagu zvērestu, ka tam, kurš nebūs atnācis pie Kunga Micpā, mirtin jāmirst! 6 Israēla dēliem bija žēl savu brāļu benjāminiešu. Tie sacīja: “Šodien viens zars no Israēla ir nocirsts. 7 Ko lai mēs darām ar atlikušajiem, lai tie dabūtu sievas, jo mēs taču esam zvērējuši pie Kunga nedot viņiem sievas no savām meitām?” 8 Un tie runāja: “Vai ir kāda no Israēla ciltīm, kas nav nākusi pie Kunga uz Micpu?” Un, redzi, neviens no Jābēš-Gileādas nebija atnācis uz sapulci nometnē. 9 Ļaudis tika pārskaitīti, un tiešām tur nebija neviena no Jābēš-Gileādas. 10 Tad viņi aizsūtīja turp divpadsmit tūkstošus vīru lielu pulku no stipriniekiem un pavēlēja tiem: “Ejiet un ar zobena asmeni izkaujiet visus, kas mīt Jābēš-Gileādā, arī sievas un bērnus! 11 Dariet tā – ikvienu vīru un sievu, kas ar vīru gulējusi, iznīciniet!” 12 Un starp Jābēš-Gileādas iedzīvotājiem tie atrada četrsimt jaunavas, kas nebija ar vīru gulējušas. Tās viņi atveda uz nometni Šīlo, kas Kanaāna zemē.
13 Tad visa sapulce sūtīja vēsti Benjāmina dēliem, kas bija uz Rimmonas klints, un pasludināja tiem mieru. 14 Tad benjāminieši atgriezās, un tie deva viņiem tās sievas, kas bija atstātas dzīvas no Jābēšas sievām, bet tiem to nepietika. 15 Un tautai bija žēl Benjāmina, jo Kungs bija izrāvis robu Israēla ciltīs. 16 Tad sapulces vecajie sacīja: “Ko lai darām ar tiem, kas palikuši bez sievām, jo benjāminiešu sievas ir iznīcinātas?!” 17 Viņi teica: “Izbēgušajiem benjāminiešiem ir jādabū mantojums, lai cilts netiktu izdzēsta no Israēla. 18 Bet mēs nevaram tiem dot sievas no mūsu meitām, jo Israēla dēli ir zvērējuši: nolādēts, kas dod sievu benjāminietim!”
19 Tad viņi teica: “Redzi, gadu no gada Kungam ir svētki Šīlo, kas atrodas uz ziemeļiem no Bēteles, uz austrumiem no lielceļa, kas iet augšup no Bēteles uz Šehemu, uz dienvidiem no Lebonas.” 20 Un viņi lika Benjāmina dēliem: “Ejiet un noslēpieties vīnadārzos! 21 Kad jūs redzēsiet – lūk, Šīlo meitas nāk laukā, lai grieztos dejā, tad iznāciet no vīnadārziem, saķeriet sev katrs pa sievai no Šīlo meitām un dodieties uz Benjāmina zemi! 22 Ja viņu tēvi vai brāļi nāks mums sūdzēties, mēs tiem teiksim: ļaujiet mums būt žēlīgiem pret viņiem, jo mēs neesam ieguvuši vīriem sievas karā, nedz jūs esat viņiem tās devuši, ka jūs būtu vainīgi.”
23 Benjāmina dēli tā arī darīja – ņēma sievas pēc sava skaita no dejotājām, kuras tie nolaupīja, un tad atgriezās savā īpašumā, atjaunoja pilsētas un tur apmetās. 24 Bet Israēla dēli tolaik devās prom no turienes katrs uz savu cilti un dzimtu – ikviens devās uz savu īpašumu. 25 Tolaik Israēlā nebija ķēniņa un katrs darīja, kā tam šķita pareizi.
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. 2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 3 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? 4 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. 5 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. 6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 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?
8 ¶ 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 Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 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 Jabesh-gilead 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 Jabesh-gilead: 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 Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el 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.
