Judges 21

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 The men of Israel had sworn this oath at Mizpah, 'None of us is to give his daughter in marriage toBenjamin.'	1 Now the children of Israel had also sworn in Maspha, saying: None of us shall give of his daughters to the children of Benjamin to wife.
2 The people went to Bethel and stayed there until evening, sitting before God and raising their voices,made a great lament,	2 And they all came to the house of God in Silo, and abiding before him till the evening, lifted up their voices, and began to lament and weep, saying:
3 and exclaiming, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel that a tribe should be missingfrom Israel today?	3 O Lord God of Israel, why is so great an evil come to pass in thy people, that this day one tribe should be taken away from among us?
4 The next day the people got up early and built an altar there; they presented burnt offerings andcommunion sacrifices.	4 And rising early the next day, they built an altar: and offered there holocausts, and victims of peace, and they said:
5 The Israelites then said, 'Out of al the tribes of Israel, who has not come to Yahweh, to the assembly?'-- for they had sworn a solemn oath that anyone who did not come to Yahweh at Mizpah would certainly die.	5 Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the army of the Lord? for they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were in Maspha, that whosoever were wanting should be slain.
6 Now the Israelites felt sorry about Benjamin their brother. 'Today', they said, 'a tribe has beenamputated from Israel.	6 And the children of Israel being moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin, began to say: One tribe is taken away from Israel.
7 What shall we do to provide wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by Yahweh not to givethem any of our own daughters in marriage?'	7 Whence shall they take wives? For we have all in general sworn, not to give our daughters to them.
8 They then asked, 'Out of the tribes of Israel, who is it that has not come to Yahweh at Mizpah?' It wasdiscovered that no one from Jabesh in Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly;	8 Therefore they said: Who is thereof all the tribes of Israel, that came not up to the Lord to Maspha. And behold the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad were found not to have been in that army.
9 for, a muster having been cal ed of the people, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead waspresent.	9 (At that time also when they were in Silo, no one of them was found there.)
10 The community then despatched twelve thousand of their bravest men there, with these orders: 'Goand slaughter all the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead, including the women and children.	10 So they sent ten thousand of the most valiant men, and commanded them, saying: Go and put the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad to the sword, with their wives and their children.
11 This is what you are to do. Al males and al those women who have ever slept with a man, you wilput under the curse of destruction, but the lives of the virgins you wil spare.' And this they did.	11 And this is what you shall observe: Every male, and all women that have known men, you shall kill, but the virgins you shall save.
12 Among the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had neverslept with a man, and brought them to the camp (to Shiloh in the territory of Canaan).	12 And there were found of Jabes Galaad four hundred virgins, that had not known the bed of a man, and they brought them to the camp Silo, into the land of Chanaan.
13 The whole community then sent messengers to offer peace to the Benjaminites who were at the Rockof Rimmon.	13 And they sent messengers to the children of Benjamin, that were in the rock Remmon, and commanded them to receive them in peace.
14 Benjamin then came home: they were given those of the women of Jabesh in Gilead whose lives hadbeen spared, but there were not enough for al .	14 And the children of Benjamin came at that time, and wives were given them of the daughters of Jabes Galaad: but they found no others, whom they might give in like manner.
15 The people felt sorry about Benjamin, Yahweh having made a breach in the tribes of Israel.	15 And all Israel was very sorry, and repented for the destroying of one tribe out of Israel.
16 And the elders of the community said, 'What shall we do to provide wives for the survivors, since thewomen of Benjamin have been wiped out?'	16 And the ancients said: What shall we do with the rest, that have not received wives? for all the women in Benjamin are dead.
17 They went on, 'How can we preserve a remnant for Benjamin so that a tribe may not be lost to Israel?	17 And we must use all care, and provide with great diligence, that one tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
18 We cannot give them our own daughters in marriage' -- for the Israelites had taken an oath,'Accursed be the man who gives a wife to Benjamin!'	18 For as to our own daughters we cannot give them, being bound with an oath and a curse, whereby we said: Cursed be he that shall give Benjamin any of his daughters to wife.
19 'However,' they said, 'there is the feast of Yahweh, held every year at Shiloh.' (The town lies north ofBethel, east of the highway that runs from Bethel up to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.)	19 So they took counsel, and said: Behold there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord in Silo, which is situate on the north of the city of Bethel, and on the east side of the way, that goeth from Bethel to Sichem, and on the south of the town of Lebona.
20 So they told the Benjaminites to do as fol ows, 'Put yourselves in ambush in the vineyards.	20 And they commanded the children of Benjamin, and said: Go, and lie hid in the vineyards,
21 Keep watch: when the girls of Shiloh come out in groups to dance, you then come out of thevineyards, each of you seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh and make for Benjaminite territory.	21 And when you shall see the daughters of Silo come out, as the custom is, to dance, come ye on a sudden out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife among them, and go into the land of Benjamin.
22 If their fathers or brothers come and complain to us, we shall say, "Let us have them, since we couldnot take wives for everyone in the battle; and you could not give them to them, or you would then have beenguilty." '	22 And when their fathers and their brethren shall come, and shall begin to complain against you, and to chide, we will say to them: Have pity on them for they took them not away as by the right of war or conquest, but when they asked to have them, you gave them not, and the fault was committed on your part.
23 The Benjaminites did this and, from the dancers whom they caught, took as many wives as therewere men and then, setting off, went back to their heritage, rebuilt the towns and settled down in them.	23 And the children of Benjamin did, as they had been commanded: and according to their number, they carried off for themselves every man his wife of them that were dancing: and they went into their possession and built up their cities, and dwelt in them.
24 The Israelites then dispersed, each man to rejoin his tribe and clan, each leaving that place for hisown heritage.	24 The children of Israel also returned by their tribes, and families, to their dwellings. In those days there was no king in Israel: but every one did that which seemed right to himself.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did as he saw fit.