21:1 以色列人在米斯巴曾起誓說：「我們都不將女兒給便雅憫人為妻。」
21:2 以色列人來到伯特利，坐在上帝面前直到晚上，放聲痛哭，
21:3 說：「耶和華─以色列的上帝啊，為何以色列中有這樣缺了一支派的事呢？」
21:4 次日清早，百姓起來，在那裡築了一座壇，獻燔祭和平安祭。
21:5 以色列人彼此問說：「以色列各支派中，誰沒有同會眾上到耶和華面前來呢？」先是以色列人起過大誓說，凡不上米斯巴到耶和華面前來的，必將他治死。
21:6 以色列人為他們的弟兄便雅憫後悔，說：「如今以色列中絕了一個支派了。
21:7 我們既在耶和華面前起誓說，必不將我們的女兒給便雅憫人為妻，現在我們當怎樣辦理、使他們剩下的人有妻呢？」
21:8 又彼此問說：「以色列支派中誰沒有上米斯巴到耶和華面前來呢？」他們就查出基列‧雅比沒有一人進營到會眾那裡；
21:9 因為百姓被數的時候，沒有一個基列‧雅比人在那裡。
21:10 會眾就打發一萬二千大勇士，吩咐他們說：「你們去用刀將基列‧雅比人連婦女帶孩子都擊殺了。
21:11 所當行的就是這樣：要將一切男子和已嫁的女子盡行殺戮。」
21:12 他們在基列‧雅比人中，遇見了四百個未嫁的處女，就帶到迦南地的示羅營裡。
21:13 全會眾打發人到臨門磐的便雅憫人那裡，向他們說和睦的話。
21:14 當時便雅憫人回來了，以色列人就把所存活基列‧雅比的女子給他們為妻，還是不夠。
21:15 百姓為便雅憫人後悔，因為耶和華使以色列人缺了一個支派（原文是使以色列中有了破口）。
21:16 會中的長老說：「便雅憫中的女子既然除滅了，我們當怎樣辦理、使那餘剩的人有妻呢？」
21:17 又說：「便雅憫逃脫的人當有地業，免得以色列中塗抹了一個支派。
21:18 只是我們不能將自己的女兒給他們為妻；因為以色列人曾起誓說，有將女兒給便雅憫人為妻的，必受咒詛。」
21:19 他們又說：「在利波拿以南，伯特利以北，在示劍大路以東的示羅，年年有耶和華的節期」；
21:20 就吩咐便雅憫人說：「你們去，在葡萄園中埋伏。
21:21 若看見示羅的女子出來跳舞，就從葡萄園出來，在示羅的女子中各搶一個為妻，回便雅憫地去。
21:22 他們的父親或是弟兄若來與我們爭競，我們就說：『求你們看我們的情面，施恩給這些人，因我們在爭戰的時候沒有給他們留下女子為妻。這也不是你們將女子給他們的；若是你們給的，就算有罪。』」
21:23 於是便雅憫人照樣而行，按著他們的數目從跳舞的女子中搶去為妻，就回自己的地業去，又重修城邑居住。
21:24 當時以色列人離開那裡，各歸本支派、本宗族、本地業去了。
21:25 那時，以色列中沒有王，各人任意而行。
The
men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his
daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
2 The
people went to Bethel,[a] where they sat before God until evening,
raising their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why
has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel
today?”
4 Early
the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and
fellowship offerings.
5 Then
the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble
before the Lord?” For they had
taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death.
6 Now
the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites.
“Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said. 7 “How can
we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the Lord not to give them any of our
daughters in marriage?” 8 Then they asked, “Which one of the
tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord
at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp
for the assembly. 9 For when they counted the people, they
found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.
10 So
the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to
Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and
children. 11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill
every male and every woman who is not a virgin.” 12 They found
among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never
slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.
13 Then
the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of
Rimmon. 14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were
given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough
for all of them.
15 The
people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord
had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 And the elders of
the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide
wives for the men who are left? 17 The Benjamite survivors must
have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 We
can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this
oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.’ 19 But
look, there is the annual festival of the Lord
in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel
to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
20 So
they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards 21 and
watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush
from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then
return to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or
brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them,
because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of
breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.’”
23 So
that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing, each man
caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their
inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.
24 At
that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and
clans, each to his own inheritance.
25 In
those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
***********
便雅憫支派在和以色列人爭戰之後，就失去了他們該有的地位，甚至在婚姻的事情上也受到影響，就是以色列人在米斯巴曾起誓說：「我們都不將女兒給便雅憫人為妻。」
然而起完這樣的誓之後，便雅憫支派人丁就越來越單薄，以至於以色列人又覺得不對以色列人來到伯特利，坐在上帝面前直到晚上，放聲痛哭說：「耶和華─以色列的上帝啊，為何以色列中有這樣缺了一支派的事呢？」
於是他們就聚集在伯特利又繼續算舊帳，以色列人彼此問說：「以色列各支派中，誰沒有同會眾上到耶和華面前來呢？」先是以色列人起過大誓說，凡不上米斯巴到耶和華面前來的，必將他治死。他們又彼此問說：「以色列支派中誰沒有上米斯巴到耶和華面前來呢？」他們就查出基列‧雅比沒有一人進營到會眾那裡；因為百姓被數的時候，沒有一個基列‧雅比人在那裡。會眾就打發一萬二千大勇士，吩咐他們說：「你們去用刀將基列‧雅比人連婦女帶孩子都擊殺了。所當行的就是這樣：要將一切男子和已嫁的女子盡行殺戮。」
一次錯又第二次錯，又去做殺戮的事情，在這之中搶奪四百個未嫁的處女，就帶到迦南地的示羅營裡。全會眾打發人到臨門磐的便雅憫人那裡，向他們說和睦的話，然後將這四百個女子給便雅憫人為妻。當然這四百女子還是不夠，怎麼辦呢？只好利用節期的時候讓便雅憫人搶婚，當作沒有看見！
這些聽來讓人覺得很荒謬，之所以如此就是因為「那時，以色列中沒有王，各人任意而行。」
這說明了人的軟弱，因為沒有明顯的王權治理，整個以色列就大亂，惹上帝的憤怒！而以色列這樣的事情，也讓今日教會成為借鏡，為什麼需要「長老治會」也在於照人的本性，因為罪的緣故，無法拒絕罪惡的事，即使信主之後，仍然尚未完全，故需要治會的同工，來做治理教會的事，使教會凡事照規矩而行！
