Juízes 21 - Bíblia Online

Os líderes de Israel tinham prometido em Mizpá nunca mais deixar as suas filhas casarem com homens da tribo de Benjamim. Os chefes israelitas reuniram-se depois em Betel, diante de Deus, chorando amargamente até à noite. 
Ó Senhor Deus de Israel, clamavam eles, porque é que isto teve de acontecer, que agora falte uma das nossas tribos? 
Na manhã seguinte levantaram-se cedo e construíram um altar, oferecendo sacrifícios e ofertas de paz sobre ele. Então uma pergunta lhes veio ao espírito: Houve alguma tribo que não se tivesse feito representar quando nos reunimos perante o Senhor em Mizpá? Nessa altura tinha-se feito um juramento em como, se alguém recusasse vir, deveria morrer. 
Levantou-se pois entre todos uma profunda tristeza pela perda da tribo irmã - Benjamim.Israel perdeu uma parte de si mesmo, diziam eles entre si. Perdemos toda uma tribo do nosso povo. 
E agora como é que vamos arranjar mulheres para os poucos que restaram visto que jurámos, na presença do Senhor, que não lhes daríamos as nossas filhas? 
E tornaram a reflectir com respeito àquele juramento que tinham feito de matar os que tivessem recusado apresentar-se em Mizpá, acabando por constatar que ninguém de Jabes-Gileade viera. Mandaram então doze mil dos seus melhores soldados para destruir o povo daquela localidade; mataram os homens todos, mais as mulheres casadas e ainda as crianças. Contudo pouparam as virgens em idade de casar; destas, contaram-se quatrocentas, que foram trazidas ao campo de Silo. 
Israel enviou após isso uma delegação de paz até ao pequeno resto do povo de Benjamim, que estava na rocha de Rimom. As quatrocentas raparigas foram-lhes dadas e a delegação voltou para trás; no entanto nem mesmo assim havia bastantes raparigas para os benjamitas todos. 
(Isto, claro está, aumentava mais ainda a tristeza dos israelitas, pelo facto de o Senhor - como dizia o povo - ter permitido aquela brecha no conjunto de Israel.) 
O que é que havemos então de fazer com este problema de arranjar mulheres para os outros! Logo haviam de ter morrido todas as mulheres de Benjamim!, exclamavam os chefes de Israel. Tem de haver uma solução, se não, toda uma tribo de Israel vai ficar perdida para sempre. Mas em todo o caso não poderemos dar-lhes as nossas filhas. Jurámos solenemente em como qualquer de nós que isso fizesse seria maldito de Deus. 
A certa altura alguém apresentou uma ideia: Anualmente há uma festa religiosa, nos campos de Silo, entre Lebona e Betel, junto à estrada -a nascente dela - o que vai de Betel a Siquem. 
Foram pois dizer aos homens de Benjamim que ainda precisavam de mulheres: Vão-se esconder nessa altura por entre as vinhas, e quando as raparigas de Silo se chegarem para dançar, corram a apanhá-las e levem-nas para vossas mulheres! Quando os pais e os irmãos delas vierem protestar, dir-lhe-emos: Por favor, sejam compreensivos e deixem-nos ficar com as moças; sabem bem que não conseguimos achar mulheres suficientes para eles quando fomos destruir Jabes-Gileade; e pela vossa parte vocês também não podiam ter dado as raparigas sem se tornarem culpados. 
Os 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. Assim o povo de Israel regressou cada qual às suas terras. 
Não havia pois rei em Israel naquela altura, e cada um fazia o que lhe parecia melhor na sua ideia. 

Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, Not any of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as wife. 
And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept intensely. 
And they said, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel? 
And it came to pass on the next day, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. 
And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that didn't come up in the assembly to Yahweh? For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to Yahweh to Mizpah, saying, He will surely be put to death. 
And the sons of Israel repented for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 
What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them our daughters as wives? 
And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that didn't come up to Yahweh to Mizpah? And, look, none came to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 
For when the people were numbered, look, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 
And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the valiant, and commanded them, saying, Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 
And this is the thing that you{+} will do: you{+} will completely destroy every male, and every woman that has had any sex with a man. 
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not had any sex with a man; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 
And the whole congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them. 
And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet they did not suffice them. 
And the people repented for Benjamin, because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 
Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing the women were destroyed out of Benjamin? 
And they said, There must be an inheritance for the escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. 
Nevertheless we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin. 
And they said, Look, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 
and see, and watch if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come{+} out of the vineyards, and you{+} catch every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 
And it will be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that 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, or else you{+} would now be guilty. 
And the sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 
And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance. 
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

Rute 1

Os líderes de Israel tinham prometido em Mizpá nunca mais deixar as suas filhas casarem com homens da tribo de Benjamim. Os chefes israelitas reuniram-se depois em Betel, diante de Deus, chorando amargamente até à noite. 
Ó Senhor Deus de Israel, clamavam eles, porque é que isto teve de acontecer, que agora falte uma das nossas tribos? 
Na manhã seguinte levantaram-se cedo e construíram um altar, oferecendo sacrifícios e ofertas de paz sobre ele. Então uma pergunta lhes veio ao espírito: Houve alguma tribo que não se tivesse feito representar quando nos reunimos perante o Senhor em Mizpá? Nessa altura tinha-se feito um juramento em como, se alguém recusasse vir, deveria morrer. 
Levantou-se pois entre todos uma profunda tristeza pela perda da tribo irmã - Benjamim.Israel perdeu uma parte de si mesmo, diziam eles entre si. Perdemos toda uma tribo do nosso povo. 
E agora como é que vamos arranjar mulheres para os poucos que restaram visto que jurámos, na presença do Senhor, que não lhes daríamos as nossas filhas? 
E tornaram a reflectir com respeito àquele juramento que tinham feito de matar os que tivessem recusado apresentar-se em Mizpá, acabando por constatar que ninguém de Jabes-Gileade viera. Mandaram então doze mil dos seus melhores soldados para destruir o povo daquela localidade; mataram os homens todos, mais as mulheres casadas e ainda as crianças. Contudo pouparam as virgens em idade de casar; destas, contaram-se quatrocentas, que foram trazidas ao campo de Silo. 
Israel enviou após isso uma delegação de paz até ao pequeno resto do povo de Benjamim, que estava na rocha de Rimom. As quatrocentas raparigas foram-lhes dadas e a delegação voltou para trás; no entanto nem mesmo assim havia bastantes raparigas para os benjamitas todos. 
(Isto, claro está, aumentava mais ainda a tristeza dos israelitas, pelo facto de o Senhor - como dizia o povo - ter permitido aquela brecha no conjunto de Israel.) 
O que é que havemos então de fazer com este problema de arranjar mulheres para os outros! Logo haviam de ter morrido todas as mulheres de Benjamim!, exclamavam os chefes de Israel. Tem de haver uma solução, se não, toda uma tribo de Israel vai ficar perdida para sempre. Mas em todo o caso não poderemos dar-lhes as nossas filhas. Jurámos solenemente em como qualquer de nós que isso fizesse seria maldito de Deus. 
A certa altura alguém apresentou uma ideia: Anualmente há uma festa religiosa, nos campos de Silo, entre Lebona e Betel, junto à estrada -a nascente dela - o que vai de Betel a Siquem. 
Foram pois dizer aos homens de Benjamim que ainda precisavam de mulheres: Vão-se esconder nessa altura por entre as vinhas, e quando as raparigas de Silo se chegarem para dançar, corram a apanhá-las e levem-nas para vossas mulheres! Quando os pais e os irmãos delas vierem protestar, dir-lhe-emos: Por favor, sejam compreensivos e deixem-nos ficar com as moças; sabem bem que não conseguimos achar mulheres suficientes para eles quando fomos destruir Jabes-Gileade; e pela vossa parte vocês também não podiam ter dado as raparigas sem se tornarem culpados. 
Os 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. Assim o povo de Israel regressou cada qual às suas terras. 
Não havia pois rei em Israel naquela altura, e cada um fazia o que lhe parecia melhor na sua ideia. 

Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, Not any of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as wife. 
And the people came to Beth-el, and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept intensely. 
And they said, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel? 
And it came to pass on the next day, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. 
And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that didn't come up in the assembly to Yahweh? For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to Yahweh to Mizpah, saying, He will surely be put to death. 
And the sons of Israel repented for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 
What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them our daughters as wives? 
And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that didn't come up to Yahweh to Mizpah? And, look, none came to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 
For when the people were numbered, look, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 
And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the valiant, and commanded them, saying, Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 
And this is the thing that you{+} will do: you{+} will completely destroy every male, and every woman that has had any sex with a man. 
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not had any sex with a man; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 
And the whole congregation sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them. 
And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet they did not suffice them. 
And the people repented for Benjamin, because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 
Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing the women were destroyed out of Benjamin? 
And they said, There must be an inheritance for the escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel. 
Nevertheless we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin. 
And they said, Look, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 
and see, and watch if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come{+} out of the vineyards, and you{+} catch every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 
And it will be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that 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, or else you{+} would now be guilty. 
And the sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 
And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance. 
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

Rute 1