1 N ow the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, None of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.

وَحَلَفَ بَنُو إسْرائِيلَ فِي المِصْفاةِ فَقالُوا: «لَنْ يُزَوِّجَ أحَدٌ مِنّا ابْنَتَهُ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ بَنِي بَنْيامِيْنَ.»

2 A nd the Israelites came to the house of God and sat there until evening before God and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.

وَلَمّا وَصَلَ الشَّعبُ إلَى بَيتِ إيلَ، جَلَسُوا هُناكَ فِي حَضْرَةِ اللهِ. صَرَخُوا بِصَوْتٍ عالٍ وَبَكُوا بُكاءً مُرّاً.

3 A nd they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?

قالُوا: «يا اللهُ ، إلَهَ إسْرائِيلَ، لِماذا حَدَثَ هَذا، حَتَّى إنَّ قَبِيلَةً واحِدَةً مِنْ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ فُقِدَتْ؟»

4 A nd next morning the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

وفي اليومِ التّالي، قامَ الشَّعبُ باكِراً، وَبَنَوا مذْبَحاً هُناكَ. وقَدَّموا ذَبائِحَ صاعِدَةً وذبائِحَ سَلامٍ.

5 A nd the Israelites said, Which among all the tribes of Israel did not come up with the assembly to the Lord? For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely die.

ثُمَّ قالَ بَنو إسْرائِيلَ: «مَنْ مِنْ قَبائِلَ إسْرائِيلَ لَمْ تَصْعَدْ إلَى الاجْتِماعِ فِي حَضرَةِ اللهِ ؟» فَقَدْ أقْسَمُوا قَسَماً عَظِيماً بِأنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَصْعَدْ إلَى الاجْتِماعِ فِي حَضرَةِ اللهِ فِي المِصْفاةِ: «يَنْبَغِي أنْ يُقْتَلَ.»

6 A nd the Israelites changed their purpose for the Benjamites their kinsmen and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.

لَكِنَّ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ أحَسُّوا بِالحُزْنِ عَلَى أقرِبائِهِمْ بَنِي بَنْيامِيْنَ وَقالُوا: «قُطِعَت قَبِيلَةٌ واحِدَةٌ اليَومَ مِنْ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ.

7 W hat shall we do for wives for those who are left, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters as wives?

فَماذا نَعمَلُ مَعَ النّاجِينَ مِنْهُمْ فِي مَسْألَةِ الزَّوجاتِ؟ فَقَدْ أقْسَمْنا بِاللهِ أنْ لا نُزَوِّجَهُمْ مِنْ بَناتِنا.»

8 A nd they said, Which one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly.

ثُمَّ قالُوا: «هَلْ هُناكَ قَبِيلَةٌ مِنْ قَبائِلِ إسْرائِيلَ لَمْ تَصْعَدْ لِلاجتِماعِ فِي حَضرَةِ اللهِ فِي المِصفاةِ؟» فَوَجَدُوا أنَّهُ لَمْ يَأتِ أحَدٌ إلَى المُخَيَّمِ لِلاجتِماعِ مِنْ يابِيشِ جِلْعادَ.

9 F or when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the citizens of Jabesh-gilead was there.

فَعِندَما أجرُوا عَمَلِيَّةَ التَّفَقُّدِ لِمَعرِفَةِ الغائِبِينَ، لَمْ يَجِدُوا هُناكَ أحَداً مِنْ يابِيشِ جِلْعادَ.

10 A nd the congregation sent there 12, 000 of the bravest men, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, also the women and the little ones.

فَأرسَلَتِ الجَماعَةُ اثنَي عَشَرَ ألفَ جُندِيٍّ إلَى هُناكَ، وَأمَرُوهُمْ: «اذهَبُوا وَاقتُلُوا سُكّانَ يابِيشَ جِلْعادَ بِالسُّيُوفِ، مَعَ النِّساءِ وَالصِّغارِ.

11 A nd this is what you shall do; utterly destroy every male and every woman who is not a virgin.

وَهَذا هُوَ ما يَنْبَغِي أنْ تَفعَلُوهُ: اقتُلُوا كُلَّ ذَكَرٍ، وكُلَّ امْرأةٍ عاشَرَتْ رَجُلاً. أمّا العَذارَى فَحافِظُوا عَلَى حَياتِهِنَّ.»

12 A nd they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins, who had known no man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

فَوَجَدُوا بَينَ سُكّانِ يابِيشَ جِلْعادَ أربَعَ مِئَةِ شابَّةٍ عَذْراءَ لَمْ يُعاشِرْنَ أيَّ رَجُلٍ. فَأحضَرُوهُنَّ إلَى المُخَيَّمِ فِي شِيلُوهَ فِي أرْضِ كَنْعانَ.

13 A nd the whole congregation sent word to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon and invited them to be friendly with them.

ثُمَّ أرسَلَتِ الجَماعَةُ كُلَّها رِسالَةً إلَى البَنْيامِيْنِيِّينَ الَّذِينَ عِنْدَ صَخرَةِ رِمُّونَ، وَصالَحُوهُمْ.

14 A nd Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead; and yet there were not enough for them.

وَفِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ، عادَ بَنُو بَنْيامِيْنَ، فَأعطُوهُمُ النِّساءَ النّاجِياتِ مِنْ نِساءِ يابِيشَ جِلْعادَ. لَكِنَّ عَدَدَ النِّساءِ لَمْ يَكُنْ كافِياً لَهُمْ.

15 A nd the people had compassion on Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

فَأحَسَّ الشَّعبُ بِالحُزْنِ عَلَى بَنْيامِيْنَ لِأنَّ اللهَ قَدْ صَنَعَ شَرْخاً بَينَ قَبائِلِ إسْرائِيلَ.

16 T hen the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin are destroyed?

وَقالَ شُيُوخُ الجَماعَةِ: «ماذا نَعمَلُ مَعَ الباقِينَ بِشَأْنِ الزَّوجاتِ، فَقَدْ قُضِيَ عَلَى النِّساءِ فِي قَبِيلَةِ بَنْيامِيْنَ؟»

17 A nd they said, There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe shall not be wiped out of Israel.

فَقالُوا: «لِنُخَصِّصْ مِيراثاً لِلنّاجِينَ مِنْ بَنِي بَنْيامِيْنَ، حَتَّى لا تُمحَى قَبِيلَةٌ مِنْ قَبائِلِ إسْرائِيلَ.

18 B ut we cannot give them wives of our daughters, for the Israelites have sworn, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.

لَكِنْ لا يُمكِنُنا أنْ نُزَوِّجَهُمْ مِنْ بَناتِنا.» فَقَدْ سَبَقَ أنْ أقسَمَ بَنُو إسْرائِيلَ وَقألُوا: «مَلعُونٌ مَنْ يُزَوِّجُ ابنَتَهُ مِنْ بَنْيامِيْنِيٍّ.»

19 S o they said, Behold, there is the yearly feast of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and south of Lebonah.

فَقالُوا: «اسْمَعُوا، يُقامُ عِيدٌ سَنَوِيٌّ تَكرِيماً للهِ فِي شِيلُوهَ، إلَى الشِّمالِ مِنْ بَيتِ إيلَ، وَإلَى الشَّرْقِ مِنَ الطَّرِيقِ الرَّئِيسِيَّةِ الَّتِي تَصعَدُ مِنْ بَيتِ إيلَ إلَى شَكيمَ، وَإلَى الجَنُوبِ مِنْ لَبُونَةَ.»

20 S o they commanded the Benjamites, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

وَقالُوا لِلبَنْيامِيْنِيِّينَ: «اذهَبُوا وَاختَبِئُوا فِي الكُرُومِ.

21 A nd watch; if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and catch every man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin.

وَانْتَظِرُوا إلَى أنْ تَخرُجَ بَناتُ شِيلُوهَ لِلرَّقْصِ. ثُمَّ اخرُجُوا مِنَ الكُرُومِ. وَليُمسِكْ كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنْكُمْ لَهُ زَوجَةً مِنْ بَناتِ شِيلُوهَ، وَاذهَبُوا بِهُنَّ إلَى أرْضِ بَنْيامِيْنَ.

22 A nd when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, we will say to them, Grant them graciously unto us, because we did not reserve a wife for each of them in battle, neither did you give wives to them, for that would have made you guilty.

وَحِينَ يَأْتِي آباؤُهُنَّ لِكَي يَشْكُوا إلَينا، سَنَقُولُ لَهُمْ: ‹أشفِقُوا عَلَيهِمْ مِنْ أجلِنا، فَنَحنُ لَمْ نَأخُذْ زَوجاتٍ لِأحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ فِي الحَربِ، وَأنْتُمْ لَمْ تُعطُوهُمْ بَناتِكُمْ طَوْعاً، فَلَمْ تَكْسِرُوا قَسَمَكُمْ.›»

23 A nd the Benjamites did so and took wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off; then they went and returned to their inheritance and repaired the towns and dwelt in them.

فَفَعَلَ البَنْيامِيْنِيُّونَ هَكَذا. وَأخَذَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ زَوجَةً مِنَ الرّاقِصاتِ اللَّواتِي خَطَفُوهُنَّ. ثُمَّ مَضَوْا وَعادُوا إلَى أرْضِهِمْ. وَأعادُوا بِناءَ مُدُنِهِمْ. وَاسْتَقَرُّوا فِيها.

24 A nd the Israelites left there then, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.

فَذَهَبَ بَنُو إسْرائِيلَ مِنْ هُناكَ فِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ، كُلٌّ إلَى قَبِيلَتِهِ وَعَشِيرَتِهِ، وَخَرَجَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنْ هُناكَ إلَى أرْضِهِ.

25 I n those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

فِي ذَلِكَ الوَقتِ، لَمْ يَكُنْ هُناكَ مَلِكٌ عَلَى بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ. وَكانَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ يَعمَلُ ما يَراهُ مُناسِباً.