Hakimler 21

¹İsrail oğulları Masfata'da, "Bizden hiçbir adam kızını Benyamin'e eş olarak vermeyecektir" diyerek ant içmişlerdi.

²Halk Beytel'e geldi ve orada akşama dek Tanrı'nın huzurunda oturdular; seslerini yükselterek büyük bir hıçkırıkla ağladılar.

³"Ey İsrail'in Tanrısı Rab!" dediler, "Bugün İsrail'den bir oymağın eksikliğinin fark edilmesi için bu durum ne amaçla meydana geldi?"

⁴Ertesi gün halk erkenden kalktı, orada bir sunak inşa edip yakmalık sunular ve kusursuz kurbanlar sundular.

⁵İsrail oğulları, "İsrail'in bütün oymaklarından hangisi Rab'bin huzurundaki topluluğa katılmadı?" dediler. Çünkü Masfata'da Rab'bin huzuruna çıkmayanlar için, "Ölümle cezalandırılıp kesinlikle öldürülecektir" diye büyük bir ant içilmişti.

⁶İsrail oğulları kardeşleri Benyamin için pişmanlık duyarak, "Bugün İsrail'den bir oymak kesilip atıldı" dediler.

⁷"Geride kalan bu artakalanlara eş bulmak için ne yapacağız? Çünkü kızlarımızdan onlara eş vermeyeceğimize dair Rab adına ant içtik."

⁸Sonra, "İsrail oymaklarından Masfata'ya, Rab'bin huzuruna çıkmayan o tek kişi kimdir?" diye sordular. Ve işte, Yaveş-Gilead'dan ordugaha, topluluğun içine tek bir adam bile gelmemişti.

⁹Halk denetlendiğinde, Yaveş-Gilead sakinlerinden orada hiç kimsenin olmadığı görüldü.

¹⁰Bunun üzerine topluluk oraya yiğitlerden on iki bin kişi gönderdi ve onlara şöyle buyurdu: "Gidin, Yaveş-Gilead sakinlerini kılıçtan geçirin."

¹¹"Yapacağınız şey şudur: Her erkeği ve erkek yatağı bilmiş her kadını adak olarak yok edeceksiniz, ama bakireleri kendiniz için yaşatacaksınız." Ve böyle yaptılar.

¹²Yaveş-Gilead sakinleri arasında erkek yatağında bir erkeği bilmemiş, bakire dört yüz genç kız buldular; onları Kenan topraklarındaki Şilo'da bulunan ordugaha getirdiler.

¹³Bütün topluluk haber gönderip Rimmon Kayası'ndaki Benyaminoğulları ile konuştular ve onları barışa davet ettiler.

¹⁴O sırada Benyamin geri döndü. İsrailliler, Yaveş-Gileadlı kızlardan sağ bıraktıkları kadınları onlara verdiler; ve bu durum onlara yetti.

¹⁵Halk Benyamin için pişmanlık duyuyordu; çünkü Rab İsrail oymaklarında bir gedik açmıştı.

¹⁶Topluluğun ihtiyarları, "Artakalanlara eş bulmak için ne yapacağız?" dediler, "Çünkü Benyamin'deki kadınlar yok edildi."

¹⁷Ve dediler ki: "Benyamin'den kurtulanların bir mirası olmalı ki, İsrail'den bir oymak tamamen silinmesin."

¹⁸"Ancak biz kendi kızlarımızdan onlara eş veremeyiz; çünkü İsrail oğulları, 'Benyamin'e eş veren lanetlenmiştir' diye ant içtiler."

¹⁹Sonra şöyle dediler: "İşte, Beytel'in kuzeyinde, Beytel'den Şekem'e çıkan yolun doğusunda ve Lebona'nın güneyinde bulunan Şilo'da yıldan yıla Rab'bin bayramı yapılır."

²⁰Benyaminoğulları'na şöyle buyurdular: "Gidin, bağlarda pusu kurun."

²¹"Gözleyin; Şilo'nun kızları dans etmek için çıktıklarında, bağlardan çıkın ve her biriniz Şilo'nun kızlarından kendine birer kadın kaçırıp Benyamin topraklarına gitsin."

²²"Onların babaları ya da kardeşleri bize dava etmeye geldiklerinde onlara, 'Onlar konusunda bize merhamet gösterin' diyeceğiz, 'Çünkü savaşta her birine birer eş alamadık. Onları siz kendiniz de vermediniz ki bir suç payı üstlenip suçlu olasınız.'"

²³Benyaminoğulları denileni yaptılar; kaçırdıkları dans eden kızlardan sayılarına göre kendilerine eş aldılar. Sonra kendi miraslarına dönüp kentleri inşa ettiler ve oralarda yaşadılar.

²⁴O sırada İsrail oğulları da oradan ayrılıp her adam kendi oymağına ve boyuna gitti; her biri oradan kendi mirasına döndü.

²⁵O günlerde İsrail'de kral yoktu; herkes kendi önünde doğru olanı yapıyordu.

¹ΚΑΙ οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ ὤμοσαν ἐν Μασσηφὰθ λέγοντες· ἀνὴρ ἐξ ἡμῶν οὐ δώσει θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ τῷ Βενιαμὶν εἰς γυναῖκα.

²καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ λαὸς εἰς Βαιθὴλ καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐκεῖ ἕως ἑσπέρας ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ᾖραν φωνὴν αὐτῶν καὶ ἔκλαυσαν κλαυθμὸν μέγαν

³καὶ εἶπαν· εἰς τί, Κύριε Θεὲ ᾿Ισραήλ, ἐγενήθη αὕτη τοῦ ἐπισκεπῆναι σήμερον ἀπὸ ᾿Ισραὴλ φυλὴν μίαν;

⁴καὶ ἐγένετο τῇ ἐπαύριον καὶ ὤρθρισεν ὁ λαὸς καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν ἐκεῖ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἀνήνεγκαν ὁλοκαυτώσεις καὶ τελείας.

⁵καὶ εἶπαν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραήλ· τίς οὐκ ἀνέβη ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀπὸ πασῶν φυλῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ πρὸς Κύριον; ὅτι ὁ ὅρκος μέγας ἦν τοῖς οὐκ ἀναβεβηκόσι πρὸς Κύριον εἰς Μασσηφὰθ λέγοντες· θανάτῳ θανατωθήσεται.

⁶καὶ παρεκλήθησαν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ πρὸς Βενιαμὶν ἀδελφὸν αὐτῶν καὶ εἶπαν· ἐξεκόπη σήμερον φυλὴ μία ἀπὸ ᾿Ισραήλ·

⁷τί ποιήσωμεν αὐτοῖς τοῖς περισσοῖς τοῖς ὑπολειφθεῖσιν εἰς γυναῖκας; καὶ ἡμεῖς ὠμόσαμεν ἐν Κυρίῳ τοῦ μὴ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων ἡμῶν εἰς γυναῖκας.

⁸καὶ εἶπαν· τίς εἷς ἀπὸ φυλῶν ᾿Ισραήλ, ὃς οὐκ ἀνέβη πρὸς Κύριον εἰς Μασσηφάθ; καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦλθεν ἀνὴρ εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἀπὸ ᾿Ιαβὶς Γαλαὰδ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν.

⁹καὶ ἐπεσκέπη ὁ λαός, καί οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ οἰκούντων ᾿Ιαβὶς Γαλαάδ.

¹⁰καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖ ἡ συναγωγὴ δώδεκα χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν ἀπὸ υἱῶν τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς λέγοντες· πορεύεσθε καὶ πατάξατε τοὺς οἰκοῦντας ᾿Ιαβὶς Γαλαὰδ ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας.

¹¹καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσετε· πᾶν ἄρσεν καὶ πᾶσαν γυναῖκα εὐδυῖαν κοίτην ἄρσενος ἀναθεματιεῖτε, τὰς δὲ παρθένους περιποιήσεσθε. καὶ ἐποίησαν οὕτως.

¹²καὶ εὗρον ἀπὸ οἰκούντων ᾿Ιαβὶς Γαλαὰδ τετρακοσίας νεάνιδας παρθένους, αἵτινες οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ἄνδρα εἰς κοίτην ἄρσενος, καὶ ἤνεγκαν αὐτὰς εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν εἰς Σηλὼμ τὴν ἐν γῇ Χαναάν.

¹³καὶ ἀπέστειλαν πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγὴ καὶ ἐλάλησαν πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Βενιαμὶν ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ Ῥεμμὼν καὶ ἐκάλεσαν αὐτοὺς εἰς εἰρήνην.

¹⁴καὶ ἐπέστρεψε Βενιαμὶν πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, καὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτοῖς οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ τὰς γυναῖκας, ἃς ἐζωοποίησαν ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων ᾿Ιαβὶς Γαλαάδ· καὶ ἤρεσεν αὐτοῖς οὕτω.

¹⁵Καὶ ὁ λαὸς παρεκλήθη ἐπὶ τῷ Βενιαμίν, ὅτι ἐποίησε Κύριος διακοπὴν ἐν ταῖς φυλαῖς ᾿Ισραήλ.

¹⁶καὶ εἶπον οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῆς συναγωγῆς· τί ποιήσωμεν τοῖς περισσοῖς εἰς γυναῖκας; ὅτι ἠφανίσθη ἀπὸ Βενιαμὶν γυνή.

¹⁷καὶ εἶπαν· Κληρονομία διασωζομένων τῶν Βενιαμίν, καὶ οὐκ ἐξαλειφθήσεται φυλὴ ἀπὸ ᾿Ισραήλ·

¹⁸ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐ δυνησόμεθα δοῦναι αὐτοῖς γυναῖκας ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων ἡμῶν, ὅτι ὠμόσαμεν ἐν υἱοῖς ᾿Ισραὴλ λέγοντες· ἐπικατάρατος ὁ διδοὺς γυναῖκα τῷ Βενιαμίν.

¹⁹καὶ εἶπαν· ἰδοὺ δὴ ἑορτὴ Κυρίου ἐν Σηλὼμ ἀφ᾿ ἡμερῶν εἰς ἡμέρας, ἥ ἐστιν ἀπὸ βορρᾶ τῆς Βαιθὴλ κατ᾿ ἀνατολάς ἡλίου ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ἀναβαινούσης ἀπό Βαιθὴλ εἰς Συχέμ καὶ ἀπὸ νότου τῆς Λεβωνά.

²⁰καὶ ἐνετείλαντο τοῖς υἱοῖς Βενιαμὶν λέγοντες· πορεύεσθε καὶ ἐνεδρεύσατε ἐν τοῖς ἀμπελῶσι·

²¹καὶ ὄψεσθε καὶ ἰδού, ἐὰν ἐξέλθωσιν αἱ θυγατέρες τῶν οἰκούντων Σηλὼ χορεύειν ἐν τοῖς χοροῖς, καὶ ἐξελεύσεσθε ἐκ τῶν ἀμπελώνων καὶ ἁρπάσατε ἑαυτοῖς ἀνὴρ γυναῖκα, ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων Σηλὼμ καὶ πορεύεσθε εἰς γῆν Βενιαμίν.

²²καὶ ἔσται ὅταν ἔλθωσιν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἢ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν κρίνεσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐροῦμεν αὐτοῖς· ἔλεος ποιήσατε ἡμῖν αὐτάς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐλάβομεν ἀνὴρ γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ παρατάξει, ὅτι οὐχ ὑμεῖς ἐδώκατε αὐτοῖς· ὡς κλῆροςπλημμελήσατε.

²³καὶ ἐποίησαν οὕτως οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμὶν καὶ ἔλαβον γυναῖκας εἰς ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῶν χορευουσῶν, ὧν ἥρπασαν· καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν καὶ ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτῶν καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν τὰς πόλεις καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐν αὐταῖς.

²⁴καὶ περιεπάτησαν ἐκεῖθεν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἀνὴρ εἰς φυλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς συγγένειαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξῆλθον ἐκεῖθεν ἀνὴρ εἰς τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ.

²⁵ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις οὐκ ἦν βασιλεὺς ἐν ᾿Ισραήλ· ἀνὴρ τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐποίει.

¹Now the children of Israel swore in Massephath, saying, No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.

²And the people came to Baethel, and sat there until evening before God: and they lifted up their voice and wept with a great weeping;

³and said, Wherefore, O Lord God of Israel, has this come to pass, that to-day one tribe should be counted [as missing] from Israel?

⁴And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose up early, and built there an altar, and offered up whole-burnt-offerings and peace offerings.

⁵And the children of Israel said, Who of all the tribes of Israel, went not up in the congregation to the Lord? for there was a great oath concerning those who went not up to the Lord to Massephath, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

⁶And the children of Israel relented toward Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day one tribe is cut off from Israel.

⁷What shall we do for wives for the rest that remain? whereas we have sworn by the Lord, not to give them of our daughters for wives.

⁸And they said, What one [man is there] of the tribes of Israel, who went not up to the Lord to Massephath? and, behold, no man came to the camp from Jabis Galaad to the assembly.

⁹And the people were numbered, and there was not there a man from the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad.

¹⁰And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the strongest, and they charged them, saying, Go ye and smite the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad with the edge of the sword.

¹¹And this shall ye do: every male and every woman that has known the lying with man ye shall devote [to destruction], but the virgins ye shall save alive: and they did so.

¹²And they found among the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to Selom in the land of Chanaan.

¹³And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin in the rock Remmon, and invited them to [make] peace.

¹⁴And Benjamin returned to the children of Israel at that time, and the children of Israel gave them the women whom they [had] save alive of the daughters of Jabis Galaad; and they were content.

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

¹⁶And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.

¹⁷And they said, [There must be] an inheritance of them that are escaped of Benjamin; and [so] a tribe shall not be destroyed out of Israel.

¹⁸For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore among the children of Israel, saying, Cursed [is] he that gives a wife to Benjamin.

¹⁹And they said, Lo! now [there is] feast of the Lord from year to year in Selom, which is on the north of Baethel, eastward on the way that goes up from Baethel to Sychem, and from the south of Lebona.

²⁰And they charged the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

²¹and ye shall see; and lo! if there come out the daughters of the inhabitants of Selom to dance in dances, then shall ye go out of the vineyards and seize for yourselves every man a wife of the daughters of Selom, and go ye into the land of Benjamin.

²²And it shall come to pass, when their fathers or their brethren come to dispute with us, that we will say to them, Grant them freely to us, for we have not taken every man his wife in the battle: because ye did not give to them according to the occasion, ye transgressed.

²³And the children of Benjamin did so; and they took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they seized: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.

²⁴And the children of Israel went thence at that time every man to his tribe and his kindred; and they went thence every man to his inheritance.

²⁵And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own sight.