1Os israelitas tinham prometido em Mizpá nunca mais deixar as suas filhas casar com homens da tribo de Benjamim.2O povo de Israel reuniu-se depois em Betel, diante de Deus, chorando amargamente até à noite.3“Ó SENHOR, Deus de Israel”, clamavam eles, “porque é que isto teve de acontecer, que agora falte uma das nossas tribos?”4Na manhã seguinte levantaram-se cedo, construíram um altar e ofereceram holocaustos e ofertas de paz sobre ele.5Então ocorreu-lhes o seguinte: “Houve alguma tribo que não se tivesse feito representar, quando nos reunimos perante o SENHOR em Mizpá?” Nessa altura, tinham feito um juramento que se alguém se recusasse a vir, deveria morrer.6Levantou-se pois entre todos uma profunda tristeza pela perda de Benjamim a tribo irmã. “Israel perdeu uma parte de si mesmo”, diziam. “Perdemos toda uma tribo do nosso povo.7E agora como vamos arranjar mulheres para os poucos que restaram, visto que jurámos, na presença do SENHOR, que não lhes daríamos as nossas filhas?”8E tornaram a refletir com respeito àquele juramento que tinham feito, de matar os que se tivessem recusado apresentar-se em Mizpá, acabando por constatar que ninguém de Jabes-Gileade viera.10Mandaram então 12 000 dos seus melhores soldados para destruir o povo daquela localidade; mataram os homens todos, as mulheres casadas e ainda as crianças.11Contudo, pouparam as virgens em idade de casar;12destas, contaram-se 400, que foram trazidas ao campo de Silo.13Israel enviou depois uma delegação de paz ao restante do povo de Benjamim que estava no rochedo de Rimom.14As 400 raparigas foram-lhes dadas e a delegação regressou; no entanto, nem mesmo assim havia raparigas suficientes para todos os benjamitas.15Isto aumentava ainda mais a tristeza dos israelitas, pelo facto do SENHOR, como dizia o povo, ter permitido aquela brecha no conjunto de Israel.16“O que havemos de fazer para arranjar mulheres para os outros? Logo haviam de ter morrido todas as mulheres de Benjamim!”, exclamavam os anciãos da assembleia.17“Tem de haver uma solução, se não uma tribo de Israel vai ficar perdida para sempre.18Em todo o caso não poderemos dar-lhes as nossas filhas. Jurámos solenemente que qualquer um de nós que fizesse isso seria maldito de Deus.”19A certa altura, alguém apresentou uma ideia: “Anualmente há uma festa religiosa, nos campos de Silo, entre Lebona e Betel, do lado nascente da estrada que vai de Betel a Siquem.”20Foram pois dizer aos homens de Benjamim que ainda precisavam de mulher: “Vão-se esconder nessa altura, entre as vinhas.21Quando as raparigas de Silo se chegarem para dançar, corram a apanhá-las e levem-nas para vossas mulheres!22Quando os pais e os irmãos vierem protestar, diremos: Por favor, sejam compreensivos e deixem-nos ficar com as moças; sabem bem que não conseguimos achar mulheres suficientes, quando fomos destruir Jabes-Gileade; e pela vossa parte também não podiam ter dado as raparigas sem se tornarem culpados.”23Os tais homens de Benjamim fizeram assim; raptaram as moças que participavam na celebração religiosa e levaram-nas consigo. Reconstruíram as povoações e continuaram a viver ali.24Assim, o povo de Israel regressou cada qual às suas terras.25Não havia rei em Israel naquela altura e cada um fazia como lhe parecia melhor.
English Standard Version
Wives Provided for the Tribe of Benjamin
1Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.”2And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.3And they said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?”4And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.5And the people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in 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 be put to death.”6And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel this day.7What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them any of our daughters for wives?”8And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah?” And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly.9For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.10So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones.11This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction.”12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.13Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them.14And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them.15And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.16Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”17And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.18Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the people of Israel had sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”19So 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.”20And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards21and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.22And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’”23And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. Then they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and lived in them.24And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.25In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
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