1
Now the
men of
Israel had
sworn in
Mizpah,
saying,
"None * of us shall
give his
daughter to
Benjamin in
marriage."
vyia r{mael h'P.ciM;B [;B.vin lea'r.fIy vyia.w ? h'Via.l !im'y.nib.l w{TiB !eTIy -a{l .WN,Mim
2
So the
people came to
Bethel and
sat there before God until evening, and
lifted up their
voices and
wept bitterly *.
b,r,['h -d;[ ~'v .Wb.veY;w lea -tyeB ~'['h a{b'Y;w ? yik.B .WK.biY;w ~'lw{q .Wa.fiY;w ~yih{l/a'h yen.pil ? lw{d'g
3
They
said,
"Why, O
LORD,
God of
Israel, has
this come about in
Israel, so that
one tribe should be missing
today in
Israel?"
h't.y'h lea'r.fIy yeh{l/a h'wh.y h'm'l .Wr.ma{Y;w ? j,bev lea'r.fiYim ~w{Y;h deq'Pih.l lea'r.fIy.B ta{z ? d'x,a
4
It
came about the
next day that the
people arose early and
built an
altar there and
offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings.
~'v -.Wn.biY;w ~'['h .WmyiK.v;Y;w t'r\x'Mim yih.y;w ? @ ~yim'l.v.W tw{l{[ .Wl][;Y;w ;xeB.zim
5
Then the
sons of
Israel said,
"Who is there
among all the
tribes of
Israel who did not
come up in the
assembly to the
LORD?" For they had
taken a
great oath concerning him
who did not
come up to the
LORD at
Mizpah,
saying, "He shall
surely be
put to
death."
h'l'[ -a{l r,v]a yim lea'r.fIy yen.B .Wr.ma{Y;w ? yiK h'wh.y -l,a lea'r.fIy yej.biv -l'Kim l'h'Q;b ? h'l'[ -a{l r,v]a;l h't.y'h h'lw{d.G;h h'[.Wb.V;h ? t'm.Wy tw{m r{mael h'P.ciM;h h'wh.y -l,a
6
And the
sons of
Israel were
sorry for their
brother Benjamin and
said,
"One tribe is
cut off from
Israel today.
wyix'a !im'y.niB -l,a lea'r.fIy yen.B .Wm]x'NiY;w ? lea'r.fiYim d'x,a j,bev ~w{Y;h [;D.gin .Wr.ma{Y;w
7
"What shall we
do for
wives for
those who are
left, since we have
sworn by the
LORD not to
give them
any of our
daughters in
marriage?"
.Wn.x;n]a;w ~yiv'n.l ~yir'tw{N;l ~,h'l h,f][;N -h;m ? .Wnyetw{n.Bim ~,h'l -teT yiT.lib.l h'why;b .Wn.[;B.vin ? ~yiv'n.l
8
And they
said,
"What one is there of the
tribes of
Israel who did not
come up to the
LORD at
Mizpah?" And
behold,
no one had
come to the
camp from
Jabesh-gilead * to the
assembly.
h'l'[ -a{l r,v]a lea'r.fIy yej.biVim d'x,a yim .Wr.ma{Y;w ? vyia -a'b a{l heNih.w h'P.ciM;h h'wh.y -l,a ? l'h'Q;h -l,a d'[.liG vyeb'Yim h,n]x;M;h -l,a
9
For when the
people were
numbered,
behold, not
one of the
inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead * was
there.
yeb.vw{Yim vyia ~'v -nyea heNih.w ~'['h deq'P.tiY;w ? d'[.liG veb'y
10
And the
congregation sent 12,000 * * of the
valiant warriors there, 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.
vyia @,l,a r'f'[ -myen.v h'de['h ~'v -.Wx.l.viY;w ? ~,tyiKih.w .Wk.l r{mael ~'tw{a .W.W;c.y;w lIy'x,h yen.Bim ? ~yiv'N;h.w b,r,x -yip.l d'[.liG veb'y yeb.vw{y -t,a ? @'J;h.w
11
"This is the
thing that you shall
do: you shall
utterly destroy every man and
every woman who has
lain * with a
man."
h'Via -l'k.w r'k'z -l'K .Wf][;T r,v]a r'b'D;h h,z.w ? .Wmyir]x;T r'k'z -b;K.vim t;[;d{y
12
And they
found among the
inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead * 400 * young virgins who had not
known a
man by
lying with him; and they
brought them to the
camp at
Shiloh,
which is in the
land of
Canaan.
tw{aem [;B.r;a d'[.liG vyeb'y yeb.vw{Yim .Wa.c.miY;w ? b;K.vim.l vyia h'[.d'y -a{l r,v]a h'l.Wt.b h'r][;n ? r,v]a h{liv h,n]x;M;h -l,a ~'tw{a .Wayib'Y;w r'k'z ? !;['n.K #,r,a.B
13
Then the
whole congregation sent word and
spoke to the
sons of
Benjamin who were at the
rock of
Rimmon, and
proclaimed peace to them.
yen.B -l,a .Wr.B;d.y;w h'de['h -l'K .Wx.l.viY;w ? ~,h'l .Wa.r.qiY;w !w{Mir [;l,s.B r,v]a !im'y.nib ? ~w{l'v
14
Benjamin returned at that
time, and they
gave them the
women whom they had
kept alive from the
women of
Jabesh-gilead *; yet they were not
enough for them.
~yiv'N;h ~,h'l .Wn.TiY;w ayih;h te['B !im'y.niB b'v'Y;w ? .Wa.c'm -a{l.w d'[.liG veb'y yev.Nim .WYix r,v]a ? !eK ~,h'l
15
And the
people were
sorry for
Benjamin because the
LORD had
made a
breach in the
tribes of
Israel.
#,r,P h'wh.y h'f'[ -yiK !im'y.nib.l ~'xin ~'['h.w ? lea'r.fIy yej.biv.B
16
Then the
elders of the
congregation said,
"What shall we
do for
wives for those who are
left,
since the
women are
destroyed out of
Benjamin?"
~yir'tw{N;l h,f][;N -h;m h'de['h yen.qiz .Wr.ma{Y;w ? h'Via !im'y.niBim h'd.m.vin -yiK ~yiv'n.l
17
They
said, "There must be an
inheritance for the
survivors of
Benjamin,
so that a
tribe will not be
blotted out from
Israel.
h,x'MIy -a{l.w !im'y.nib.l h'jyel.P t;VUr.y .Wr.ma{Y;w ? lea'r.fiYim j,bev
18
"But we
cannot * give them
wives of our
daughters." For the
sons of
Israel had
sworn,
saying,
"Cursed is he who
gives a
wife to
Benjamin."
.Wnyetw{n.Bim ~yiv'n ~,h'l -tet'l l;k.Wn a{l .Wn.x;n]a;w ? r.Wr'a r{mael lea'r.fIy -yen.b .W[.B.vin -yiK ? !im'y.nib.l h'Via !et{n
19
So they
said,
"Behold, there is a
feast of the
LORD from
year to
year in
Shiloh,
which is on the
north side of
Bethel, on the
east * side * of the
highway that
goes up from
Bethel to
Shechem, and on the
south side of
Lebonah."
~yim'Yim w{liv.B h'wh.y -g;x heNih .Wr.ma{Y;w ? h'x.r.zim lea -tyeb.l h'nw{p.Cim r,v]a h'myim'y ? b,g,Nim.W h'm,k.v lea -tyeBim h'l{['h h'Lis.mil v,m,V;h ? h'nw{b.lil
20
And they
commanded the
sons of
Benjamin,
saying,
"Go and
lie in
wait in the
vineyards,
~,T.b;r]a;w .Wk.l r{mael !im'y.nib yen.B -t,a w;c.y;w ? ~yim'r.K;B
21
and
watch; and
behold,
if the
daughters of
Shiloh come out to
take part in the
dances, then you shall
come out of the
vineyards and
each of you shall
catch his
wife from the
daughters of
Shiloh, and
go to the
land of
Benjamin.
w{lyiv -tw{n.b .Wa.cey -mia heNih.w ~,tyia.r.W ? ~,T.p;j]x;w ~yim'r.K;h -nim ~,ta'cyiw tw{l{x.M;B l.Wx'l ? ~,T.k;l]h;w w{lyiv tw{n.Bim w{T.via vyia ~,k'l ? !im'y.niB #,r,a
22
"It shall
come about,
when their
fathers or their
brothers come to
complain to us, that we shall
say to them,
'Give them to us
voluntarily,
because we did not
take for
each man of Benjamin a
wife in
battle,
nor * did you
give them to them, else you would
now be
guilty.' "
bw{r'l ~,hyex]a w{a ~'tw{b]a .Wa{b'y -yiK h'y'h.w ? yiK ~'tw{a .Wn.WN'x ~,hyel]a .Wn.r;m'a.w .Wnyelea ? a{l yiK h'm'x.liM;B w{T.via vyia .Wn.x;q'l a{l ? .Wm'v.a,T te['K ~,h'l ~,T;t.n ~,T;a
23
The
sons of
Benjamin did so, and
took wives according to their
number from those who
danced,
whom they
carried away. And they
went and
returned to their
inheritance and
rebuilt the
cities and
lived in them.
~yiv'n .Wa.fiY;w !im'y.nib yen.B !ek -.Wf][;Y;w ? .Wk.leY;w .Wl'z'G r,v]a tw{l.l{x.M;h -nim ~'r'P.sim.l ? ~yir'[,h -t,a .Wn.biY;w ~'t'l]x;n -l,a .Wb.Wv'Y;w ? ~,h'B .Wb.veY;w
24
The
sons of
Israel departed from
there at that
time,
every man to his
tribe and
family, and
each one of them
went out from
there to his
inheritance.
ayih;h te['B lea'r.fIy -yen.B ~'Vim .Wk.L;h.tiY;w ? vyia ~'Vim .Wa.ceY;w w{T.x;P.vim.l.W w{j.biv.l vyia ? w{t'l]x;n.l
25
In
those days there was
no king in
Israel;
everyone did what was
right in his own
eyes.
r'v'Y;h vyia lea'r.fIy.B .$,l,m !yea ~eh'h ~yim'Y;B ? h,f][;y wy'nye[.B