Livro dos Juízes 21

SAGRADA BIBLIA	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Os filhos de Israel tinham jurado em Masfa, dizendo: Ninguém dentre nós dará sua filha em casamento a um benjaminita.	1 The sons of Israel had also taken an oath at Mizpah, and they said, “None of us shall give his daughters as a wife to the sons of Benjamin.”
2 Dirigiu-se o povo a Betel, onde ficou até a tarde em presença do Senhor, e levantaram a voz com grandes lamentações:	2 And they all went to the house of God at Shiloh. And sitting in his sight until evening, they lifted up their voice, and they began to weep, with a great wailing, saying,
3 Por que, diziam eles, ó Senhor, Deus de Israel, aconteceu essa desgraça que nos falte hoje uma tribo de Israel?	3 “Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this evil happened among your people, so that this day one tribe would be taken away from us?”
4 No dia seguinte pela manhã, o povo levantou naquele lugar um altar, sobre o qual ofereceu holocaustos e sacrifícios pacíficos.	4 Then, rising at first light on the next day, they built an altar. And they offered holocausts and victims of peace offerings there, and they said,
5 E disseram: Haverá alguém dentre todas as tribos de Israel que não tenha comparecido à assembléia em presença do Eterno? Com efeito, fora pronunciado a seguinte juramento solene contra aquele que não subisse a Masfa junto do Senhor: Será punido de morte.	5 “Who, out of all the tribes of Israel, did not ascend with the army of the Lord?” For they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were at Mizpah, that whoever was not present would be slain.
6 Os filhos de Israel tiveram pena de Benjamim, seu irmão: Assim, diziam eles, foi hoje uma tribo cortada de Israel?	6 And the sons of Israel, having been led to repentance over their brother Benjamin, began to say: “One tribe has been taken away from Israel.
7 Aonde vamos buscar mulheres para os que restam, pois que juramos pelo Senhor não lhes dar nossas filhas em casamento?	7 From where shall they receive wives? For we have all sworn in common that we will not give our daughters to them.”
8 Por isso perguntavam se não havia alguma tribo de Israel que não tivesse subido para o Senhor em Masfa. Ora, ninguém de Jabes em Galaad tinha vindo ao acampamento ou comparecido à assembléia.	8 For this reason, they said, “Who is there, out of all the tribes of Israel, that did not ascend to the Lord at Mizpah?” And behold, the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead were found not to have been among that army.
9 Fez-se o recenseamento do povo e não se encontrou, com efeito, homem algum de Jabes em Galaad.	9 (Likewise, in the time when they had been at Shiloh, not one of them was found to be there.)
10 Então a assembléia enviou para lá doze mil guerreiros valentes com a ordem seguinte: Ide e passai ao fio da espada todos os habitantes de Jabes em Galaad com as mulheres e as crianças.	10 And so they sent ten thousand very robust men, and they instructed them, saying, “Go and strike down the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, including their wives and little ones.”
11 Eis como deveis fazer: votareis ao interdito todo homem, bem como toda mulher que se houver deitado com homem.	11 And this shall be what you ought to do: “Everyone of the male gender, as well as all the women who have known men, shall be put to death. But the virgins you shall reserve.”
12 Encontraram entre os habitantes de Jabes em Galaad quatrocentas moças virgens, que não tinham conhecido varão, e levaram-nas ao acampamento de Silo, na terra de Canaã.	12 And four hundred virgins, who had not known the bed of a man, were found from Jabesh-Gilead. And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan.
13 Toda a assembléia enviou mensagens de paz aos benjaminitas que tinham se refugiado no rochedo de Remon.	13 And they sent messengers to the sons of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they instructed them, so that they would receive them in peace.
14 Voltaram eles para as suas casas, e foram-lhes dadas por mulheres as filhas de Jabes em Galaad que tinham sido poupadas, mas não chegaram para todos.	14 And the sons of Benjamin went, at that time, and wives were given to them from the daughters of Jabesh-Gilead. But others were not found, whom they might give in a similar manner.
15 O povo teve pena de Benjamim, porque o Senhor tinha feito uma brecha nas tribos de Israel.	15 And all of Israel was very saddened, and they did penance for destroying one tribe out of Israel.
16 Os anciãos da assembléia disseram: Que faremos para dar mulheres aos que restam, pois todas as mulheres de Benjamim foram exterminadas?	16 And those greater by birth said: “What shall we do with the remainder, those who have not received wives? For all the females of Benjamin have been cut down,
17 E ajuntaram: Fique para Benjamim a herança dos que sobreviveram, para que não seja cortada uma tribo de Israel.	17 and we must take great care, and make provision with a very great diligence, so that one tribe may not be wiped away from Israel.
18 Mas não podemos dar-lhes nossas filhas em casamento, pois os filhos de Israel lançaram a maldição a todo aquele que desse a sua filha por mulher a um benjaminita.	18 As for our own daughters, we are not able to give them, being bound by an oath and a curse, when we said, ‘Accursed is he who will give any of his daughters to Benjamin as a wife.’ ”
19 E disseram: Eis que se celebra a festa anual do Senhor em Silo {Silo está situada ao norte de Betel, ao oriente do caminho que vai de Betel a Siquém, e ao sul de Lebona}.	19 And they took counsel, and they said, “Behold, there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord at Shiloh, which is situated to the north of the city of Bethel, and on the eastern side of the way that one takes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of the town of Lebonah.”
20 Depois deram este conselho aos filhos de Benjamim: Ide e escondei-vos nas vinhas.	20 And they instructed the sons of Benjamin, and they said: “Go, and hide in the vineyards.
21 Quando virdes as filhas de Silo saírem para dançar em coro, saí de repente das vinhas e cada um tome uma para mulher entre as filhas de Silo; depois disso voltai para a terra de Benjamim.	21 And when you will have seen daughters of Shiloh being led out to dance, according to custom, go forth suddenly from the vineyards, and let each one seize one wife from among them, and travel into the land of Benjamin.
22 Quando seus pais ou seus irmãos vierem queixar-se junto de nós, responder-lhes-emos: Deixai-as vir conosco, pois durante a guerra não pudemos tomar uma mulher para cada um. Aliás, não sois vós quem lhas destes, e nem tendes culpa nisso.	22 And when their fathers and brothers arrive, and they begin to complain against you and to argue, we will say to them: ‘Take pity on them. For they have not seized them by right of war or conquest. Instead, begging to receive them, you did not give them, and so the sin was on your part.’ ”
23 Assim fizeram os benjaminitas: tomaram entre as dançarinas mulheres segundo o seu número; tomaram-nas e voltaram para a sua casa. Depois construíram cidades e habitaram nelas.	23 And so the sons of Benjamin did just as they had been ordered. And according to their number, they seized for themselves one wife each, out of those who were led out dancing. And they went into their own possession, and they built up their cities, and they lived in them.
24 Voltaram também os israelitas, cada um para a sua tribo e sua família, e para a terra de sua herança.	24 The sons of Israel also returned, according to their tribes and families, to their tents. In those days, there was no king in Israel. Instead, each one did what seemed right to himself.
25 Naquele tempo não havia rei em Israel, e cada um fazia o que lhe parecia melhor.