士師記 21
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
為便雅憫支派娶妻
21 以色列人曾在米斯巴起誓不把女兒嫁給便雅憫人。 2 他們來到伯特利，坐在上帝面前放聲痛哭，直到黃昏。 3 他們說：「以色列的上帝耶和華啊，以色列為何少了一個支派呢？為何發生了這樣的事呢？」 4 第二天，眾人清早起來在那裡築了一座祭壇，獻上燔祭和平安祭。 5 他們彼此議論說：「我們到米斯巴聚集在耶和華面前的時候，各支派中誰沒有來呢？」原來，他們曾經起誓說：凡不到米斯巴聚集在耶和華面前的人都要被處死。 6 以色列人為他們的同胞便雅憫人難過，說：「如今以色列絕了一個支派。 7 我們曾經在耶和華面前起誓，決不把女兒嫁給便雅憫人，現在我們應該怎麼辦才能使他們剩下來的人得到妻子呢？」
8 他們又查問各支派中誰沒有到米斯巴聚集在耶和華面前，結果發現基列·雅比人缺席， 9 因為點兵的時候，沒有一個基列·雅比人在場。 10 於是，會眾派出一萬二千精兵，命令他們殺掉基列·雅比人及其婦女和孩子。 11 他們對精兵說：「你們所要做的就是消滅所有的男子和已婚婦女。」 12 他們在基列·雅比的居民中找到四百名處女，把她們帶回迦南的示羅營地。
13 全體會眾又派人到臨門岩去跟便雅憫人講和。 14 於是，便雅憫人返回了家鄉，以色列人把從基列·雅比居民中留下來的四百個處女給他們做妻子，但還是不夠。 15 眾人為便雅憫支派難過，因為耶和華使以色列少了一個支派。
16 會眾的長老說：「便雅憫支派的女子都死了，我們應該怎麼辦才能使餘下的人有妻子呢？ 17 便雅憫的餘民必須成家立後，以免以色列失去一個支派。 18 可是我們又不能把女兒嫁給他們，因為我們曾經起誓，『把女兒嫁給便雅憫人的必受咒詛。』」 19 有人想起在示羅每年都有耶和華的節期。示羅在利波拿以南、伯特利以北至示劍的大路東面。 20 於是，他們對便雅憫人說：「你們埋伏在葡萄園裡， 21 見到示羅的女子出來跳舞時，就衝出去各自搶一個，帶回便雅憫做妻子。 22 倘若她們的父親或弟兄前來抱怨，我們會說，『求你們恩待我們，因為我們從戰場上帶回的女子不夠分給他們做妻子。何況又不是你們把女兒嫁給他們的，所以罪不在你們。』」 23 便雅憫人就依計行事，從跳舞的女子中各自搶了一個，帶回自己的家鄉做妻子。他們重建城邑，住在其中。 24 於是，以色列人離開那裡，各回自己的支派、宗族和家園。
25 那時候，以色列人沒有王，人人各行其是。
Judges 21
New Century Version
Wives for the Men of Benjamin
21 At Mizpah the men of Israel had sworn, “Not one of us will let his daughter marry a man from the tribe of Benjamin.”
2 The people went to the city of Bethel and sat before God until evening, crying loudly. 3 They said, “Lord, God of Israel, why has this terrible thing happened to us so that one tribe of Israel is missing today?”
4 Early the next day the people built an altar and put burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God on it.
5 Then the Israelites asked, “Did any tribe of Israel not come here to meet with us in the presence of the Lord?” They asked this question because they had sworn that anyone who did not meet with them at Mizpah would be killed.
6 The Israelites felt sorry for their relatives, the Benjaminites. They said, “Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel. 7 We swore before the Lord that we would not allow our daughters to marry a Benjaminite. How can we make sure that the remaining men of Benjamin will have wives?” 8 Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come here to Mizpah?” They found that no one from the city of Jabesh Gilead had come. 9 The people of Israel counted everyone, but there was no one from Jabesh Gilead.
10 So the whole group of Israelites sent twelve thousand soldiers to Jabesh Gilead to kill the people with their swords, even the women and children.
11 “This is what you must do: Kill every man in Jabesh Gilead and every married woman.” 12 The soldiers found four hundred young unmarried women in Jabesh Gilead, so they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.
13 Then the whole group of Israelites sent a message to the men of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, offering to make peace with them. 14 So the men of Benjamin came back at that time. The Israelites gave them the women from Jabesh Gilead who had not been killed, but there were not enough women.
15 The people of Israel felt sorry for the Benjaminites because the Lord had separated the tribes of Israel. 16 The elders of the Israelites said, “The women of Benjamin have been killed. Where can we get wives for the men of Benjamin who are still alive? 17 These men must have children to continue their families so a tribe in Israel will not die out. 18 But we cannot allow our daughters to marry them, because we swore, ‘Anyone who gives a wife to a man of Benjamin is cursed.’ 19 We have an idea! There is a yearly festival of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of the city of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of the city of Lebonah.”
20 So the elders told the men of Benjamin, “Go and hide in the vineyards. 21 Watch for the young women from Shiloh to come out to join the dancing. Then run out from the vineyards and take one of the young Shiloh women and return to the land of Benjamin. 22 If their fathers or brothers come to us and complain, we will say: ‘Be kind to the men of Benjamin. We did not get wives for Benjamin during the war, and you did not give the women to the men from Benjamin. So you are not guilty.’”
23 So that is what the Benjaminites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one of them, took her away, and married her. Then they went back to the land God had given them and rebuilt their cities and lived there.
24 Then the Israelites went home to their own tribes and family groups, to their own land that God had given them.
25 In those days Israel did not have a king. All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
