Judges 21

NEW JERUSALEM	VULGATA
1 The men of Israel had sworn this oath at Mizpah, 'None of us is to give his daughter in marriage toBenjamin.'	1 Juraverunt quoque filii Israël in Maspha, et dixerunt : Nullus nostrum dabit filiis Benjamin de filiabus suis uxorem.
2 The people went to Bethel and stayed there until evening, sitting before God and raising their voices,made a great lament,	2 Veneruntque omnes ad domum Dei in Silo, et in conspectu ejus sedentes usque ad vesperam, levaverunt vocem, et magno ululatu cœperunt flere, dicentes :
3 and exclaiming, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel that a tribe should be missingfrom Israel today?	3 Quare, Domine Deus Israël, factum est hoc malum in populo tuo, ut hodie una tribus auferretur ex nobis ?
4 The next day the people got up early and built an altar there; they presented burnt offerings andcommunion sacrifices.	4 Altera autem die diluculo consurgentes, exstruxerunt altare : obtuleruntque ibi holocausta, et pacificas victimas, et dixerunt :
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 Quis non ascendit in exercitu Domini de universis tribubus Israël ? grandi enim juramento se constrinxerant, cum essent in Maspha, interfici eos qui defuissent.
6 Now the Israelites felt sorry about Benjamin their brother. 'Today', they said, 'a tribe has beenamputated from Israel.	6 Ductique pœnitentia filii Israël super fratre suo Benjamin, cœperunt dicere : Ablata est tribus una de Israël :
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 unde uxores accipient ? omnes enim in commune juravimus, non daturos nos his filias nostras.
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 Idcirco dixerunt : Quis est de universis tribubus Israël, qui non ascendit ad Dominum in Maspha ? Et ecce inventi sunt habitatores Jabes Galaad in illo exercitu non fuisse.
9 for, a muster having been cal ed of the people, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead waspresent.	9 (Eo quoque tempore cum essent in Silo, nullus ex eis ibi repertus est.)
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 Miserunt itaque decem millia viros robustissimos, et præceperunt eis : Ite, et percutite habitatores Jabes Galaad in ore gladii, tam uxores quam parvulos eorum.
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 Et hoc erit quod observare debebitis : omne generis masculini, et mulieres quæ cognoverunt viros, interficite ; virgines autem reservate.
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 Inventæque sunt de Jabes Galaad quadringentæ virgines, quæ nescierunt viri thorum : et adduxerunt eas ad castra in Silo, in terram Chanaan.
13 The whole community then sent messengers to offer peace to the Benjaminites who were at the Rockof Rimmon.	13 Miseruntque nuntios ad filios Benjamin, qui erant in petra Remmon, et præceperunt eis, ut eos susciperent in pace.
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 Veneruntque filii Benjamin in illo tempore, et datæ sunt eis uxores de filiabus Jabes Galaad : alias autem non repererunt, quas simili modo traderent.
15 The people felt sorry about Benjamin, Yahweh having made a breach in the tribes of Israel.	15 Universusque Israël valde doluit, et egit pœnitentiam super interfectione unius tribus ex Israël.
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 Dixeruntque majores natu : Quid faciemus reliquis, qui non acceperunt uxores ? omnes in Benjamin feminæ conciderunt,
17 They went on, 'How can we preserve a remnant for Benjamin so that a tribe may not be lost to Israel?	17 et magna nobis cura, ingentique studio providendum est, ne una tribus deleatur ex Israël.
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 Filias enim nostras eis dare non possumus, constricti juramento et maledictione qua diximus : Maledictus qui dederit de filiabus suis uxorem Benjamin.
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 Ceperuntque consilium, atque dixerunt : Ecce solemnitas Domini est in Silo anniversaria, quæ sita est ad septentrionem urbis Bethel, et ad orientalem plagam viæ, quæ de Bethel tendit ad Sichimam, et ad meridiem oppidi Lebona.
20 So they told the Benjaminites to do as fol ows, 'Put yourselves in ambush in the vineyards.	20 Præceperuntque filiis Benjamin, atque dixerunt : Ite, et latitate in vineis.
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 Cumque videritis filias Silo ad ducendos choros ex more procedere, exite repente de vineis, et rapite ex eis singuli uxores singulas, et pergite in terram 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 Cumque venerint patres earum, ac fratres, et adversum vos queri cœperint atque jurgari, dicemus eis : Miseremini eorum : non enim rapuerunt eas jure bellantium atque victorum : sed rogantibus ut acciperent, non dedistis, et a vestra parte peccatum est.
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 Feceruntque filii Benjamin ut sibi fuerat imperatum : et juxta numerum suum, rapuerunt sibi de his quæ ducebant choros, uxores singulas : abieruntque in possessionem suam ædificantes urbes, et habitantes in eis.
24 The Israelites then dispersed, each man to rejoin his tribe and clan, each leaving that place for hisown heritage.	24 Filii quoque Israël reversi sunt per tribus et familias in tabernacula sua. In diebus illis non erat rex in Israël : sed unusquisque quod sibi rectum videbatur, hoc faciebat.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did as he saw fit.