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

¶ Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, None of us shall give his daughter unto those of Benjamin to wife.

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

And the people came to the house of God and abode there until the evening before God and lifted up their voices and wept sore

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

and said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?

4 و في اليومِ التّالي، قامَ الشَّعبُ باكِراً، وَبَنَوا مذْبَحاً هُناكَ. وقَدَّموا ذَبائِحَ صاعِدَةً وذبائِحَ سَلامٍ.

And it came to pass on the next day that the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 ث ُمَّ 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.»

And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning the one that would not come up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

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

And the sons of Israel repented because of Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

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

What shall we do for wives for those that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters for wives?

8 ث ُمَّ 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.

And they said, Is there anyone of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And they found that no one from Jabeshgilead had come to the camp nor to the assembly.

9 ف َعِندَما أجرُوا عَمَلِيَّةَ التَّفَقُّدِ لِمَعرِفَةِ الغائِبِينَ، لَمْ يَجِدُوا هُناكَ أحَداً مِنْ يابِيشِ جِلْعادَ.

For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

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

Then the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword with the women and the children.

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

And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male and every woman that has lain with a man.

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

And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins that had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 ث ُمَّ أرسَلَتِ الجَماعَةُ كُلَّها رِسالَةً إلَى البَنْيامِيْنِيِّينَ الَّذِينَ عِنْدَ صَخرَةِ رِمُّونَ، وَصالَحُوهُمْ.

Then the whole congregation sent some to speak to the sons of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon and to call peaceably unto them.

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

And those of Benjamin had returned at that time; and they gave them as wives those whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead, and even so they were not enough.

15 ف َأحَسَّ الشَّعبُ بِالحُزْنِ عَلَى بَنْيامِيْنَ لِأنَّ اللهَ قَدْ صَنَعَ شَرْخاً بَينَ قَبائِلِ إسْرائِيلَ.

And the people repented over Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

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

¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those that remain? For the female sex had been destroyed out of Benjamin.

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

And they said, Let the inheritance of Benjamin be saved that a tribe not be destroyed out of Israel.

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

However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that gives a wife to anyone of Benjamin.

19 ف َقالُوا: «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.»

Then they said, Behold, there is a solemn feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is towards the Aquilon from Bethel and towards the rising of the sun from the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and towards the Negev from Lebonah.

20 و َقالُوا لِلبَنْيامِيْنِيِّينَ: «اذهَبُوا وَاختَبِئُوا فِي الكُرُومِ.

Therefore, they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards

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

and watch with care, and when you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each one of you shall rapture a wife of the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin.

22 و َحِينَ 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.›»

And when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, we will say unto them, Be merciful unto us for their sakes because in the war we did not take enough women for all of them; and you could not have given them to them, or ye should be guilty now.

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

And the sons of Benjamin did so and took themselves wives, according to their number, rapturing them from among those that danced; and they went and returned unto their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.

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

Then the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family, each one going from there to his inheritance.

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

In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did that which seemed right in his own eyes.