1 O ra, os homens de Israel tinham jurado em Mizpá dizendo: Nenhum de nós dará sua filha por mulher aos benjamitas.

Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”

2 V eio, pois, o povo a Betel, e ali ficou sentado até a tarde, diante de Deus; e todos, levantando a voz, fizeram grande pranto,

Then the people came to the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly,

3 e disseram: Ah! Senhor Deus de Israel, por que sucedeu isto, que falte uma tribo em Israel?

and said, “O Lord God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?”

4 N o dia seguinte o povo levantou-se de manhã cedo, edificou ali um altar e ofereceu holocaustos e ofertas pacíficas.

So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 E disseram os filhos de Israel: Quem dentre todas as tribos de Israel não subiu ã assembléia diante do Senhor? Porque se tinha feito um juramento solene acerca daquele que não subisse ao Senhor em Mizpá, dizendo: Certamente será morto.

The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the Lord ?” For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”

6 E os filhos de Israel tiveram pena de Benjamim, seu irmão, e disseram: Hoje é cortada de Israel uma tribo.

And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel today.

7 C omo havemos de conseguir mulheres para os que restam deles, desde que juramos pelo Senhor que nenhuma de nossas filhas lhes daríamos por mulher?

What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters as wives?”

8 E ntão disseram: Quem é que dentre as tribos de Israel não subiu ao Senhor em Mizpá? E eis que ninguém de Jabes-Gileade viera ao arraial, ã assembléia.

And they said, “What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord ?” And, in fact, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.

9 P orquanto, ao contar-se o povo, nenhum dos habitantes de Jabes-Gileade estava ali.

For when the people were counted, indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there.

10 P elo que a congregação enviou para lá doze mil homens dos mais valorosos e lhes ordenou, dizendo: Ide, e passai ao fio da espada os habitantes de Jabes-Gileade, juntamente com as mulheres e os pequeninos.

So the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children.

11 M as isto é o que haveis de fazer: A todo homem e a toda mulher que tiver conhecido homem, totalmente destruireis.

And this is the thing that you shall do: You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man intimately.”

12 E acharam entre os moradores de Jabes-Gileade quatrocentas moças virgens, que não tinham conhecido homem, e as trouxeram ao arraial em Siló, que está na terra de Canaã.

So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man intimately; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 T oda a congregação enviou mensageiros aos filhos de Benjamim, que estavam na penha de Rimom, e lhes proclamou a paz.

Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them.

14 E ntão voltaram os benjamitas, e os de Israel lhes deram as mulheres que haviam guardado com vida, das mulheres de Jabes-Gileade; porém estas ainda não lhes bastaram.

So Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found enough for them.

15 E o povo teve pena de Benjamim, porquanto o Senhor tinha aberto uma brecha nas tribos de Israel.

And the people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a void in the tribes of Israel.

16 D isseram, pois os anciãos da congregação: Como havemos de conseguir mulheres para os que restam, pois que foram destruídas as mulheres de Benjamim?

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

17 D isseram mais: Deve haver uma herança para os que restam de Benjamim, para que uma tribo não seja apagada de Israel.

And they said, “ There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel.

18 C ontudo nós não lhes poderemos dar mulheres dentre nossas filhas. Pois os filhos de Israel tinham jurado, dizendo: Maldito aquele que der mulher aos benjamitas.

However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”

19 D isseram então: Eis que de ano em ano se realiza a festa do Senhor em Siló que está ao norte de Betel, a leste do caminho que sobe de Betel a Siquém, e ao sul de Lebona.

Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

20 O rdenaram, pois, aos filhos de Benjamim, dizendo: Ide, ponde-vos de emboscada nas vinhas,

Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,

21 e vigiai; ao saírem as filhas de Siló a dançar nos coros, saí vós das vinhas, arrebatai cada um sua mulher, das filhas de Siló, e ide-vos para a terra de Benjamim.

and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin.

22 E ntão quando seus pais e seus irmãos vierem queixar-se a nós, nós lhes diremos: Dignai-vos de no-las conceder; pois nesta guerra não tomamos mulheres para cada um deles, nem vós lhas destes; de outro modo seríeis agora culpados.

Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.’”

23 A ssim fizeram os filhos de Benjamim; e conforme o seu número tomaram para si mulheres, arrebatando-as dentre as que dançavam; e, retirando-se, voltaram ã sua herança, reedificaram as cidades e habitaram nelas.

And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.

24 N esse mesmo tempo os filhos de Israel partiram dali, cada um para a sua tribo e para a sua família; assim voltaram cada um para a sua herança.

So the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance.

25 N aqueles dias não havia rei em Israel; cada um fazia o que parecia bem aos seus olhos.

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