Now the children of Israel had also sworn in Maspha, saying: None of us shall give of his daughters to the children of Benjamin to wife.

Juraverunt quoque filii Israël in Maspha, et dixerunt: Nullus nostrum dabit filiis Benjamin de filiabus suis uxorem.

This, too, was part of the oath which the Israelites took at Maspha, that none of them would wed his daughter to a man of Benjamin’s race.

And they all came to the house of God in Silo, and abiding before him till the evening, lifted up their voices, and began to lament and weep, saying:

Veneruntque omnes ad domum Dei in Silo, et in conspectu ejus sedentes usque ad vesperam, levaverunt vocem, et magno ululatu cœperunt flere, dicentes:

And now they betook themselves to God’s house in Silo, and sat there all day in his presence, weeping and making loud lament;

O Lord God of Israel, why is so great an evil come to pass in thy people, that this day one tribe should be taken away from among us?

Quare, Domine Deus Israël, factum est hoc malum in populo tuo, ut hodie una tribus auferretur ex nobis?

Lord God of Israel, they cried, what curse is this that has fallen on thy people, that a whole tribe of us should disappear?

And rising early the next day, they built an altar: and offered there holocausts, and victims of peace, and they said:

Altera autem die diluculo consurgentes, exstruxerunt altare: obtuleruntque ibi holocausta, et pacificas victimas, et dixerunt:

And when day dawned they built an altar, upon which they presented burnt-sacrifice and welcome-offerings. And now the thought came to them,

Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the army of the Lord? for they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were in Maspha, that whosoever were wanting should be slain.

Quis non ascendit in exercitu Domini de universis tribubus Israël? grandi enim juramento se constrinxerant, cum essent in Maspha, interfici eos qui defuissent.

Was there any clan among all the tribes of Israel that did not go out to fight in the Lord’s army? At Maspha, they had bound themselves by a solemn oath that anyone who failed them should be exterminated.

And the children of Israel being moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin, began to say: One tribe is taken away from Israel.

Ductique pœnitentia filii Israël super fratre suo Benjamin, cœperunt dicere: Ablata est tribus una de Israël:

But when, in remorse over their Benjamite brethren, they fell to lamenting over the loss of a whole tribe to Israel,

Whence shall they take wives? For we have all in general sworn, not to give our daughters to them.

unde uxores accipient? omnes enim in commune juravimus, non daturos nos his filias nostras.

and asking where wives could be found for the race to which they had all sworn they would wed no daughter of theirs,

Therefore they said: Who is there of all the tribes of Israel, that came not up to the Lord to Maspha. And behold the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad were found not to have been in that army.

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.

the thought came afresh, Were there any of Israel’s tribesmen who did not answer the Lord’s summons to Maspha? Then they remembered that the men of Jabes-Galaad had sent no aid;

(At that time also when they were in Silo, no one of them was found there.)

(Eo quoque tempore cum essent in Silo, nullus ex eis ibi repertus est.)

nor were any of them to be found now, among the muster at Silo.

So they sent ten thousand of the most valiant men, and commanded them, saying: Go and put the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad to the sword, with their wives and their children.

Miserunt itaque decem millia viros robustissimos, et præceperunt eis: Ite, et percutite habitatores Jabes Galaad in ore gladii, tam uxores quam parvulos eorum.

So ten thousand fighting men were sent out with orders to put the citizens of Jabes-Galaad to the sword. Wives and children were to perish with the rest;

And this is what you shall observe: Every male, and all women that have known men, you shall kill, but the virgins you shall save.

Et hoc erit quod observare debebitis: omne generis masculini, et mulieres quæ cognoverunt viros, interficite; virgines autem reservate.

but while they slew all the men-folk, and all the women who had had commerce with man, they must be careful to spare the unwedded maids.

And there were found of Jabes Galaad four hundred virgins, that had not known the bed of a man, and they brought them to the camp in Silo, into the land of Chanaan.

Inventæque sunt de Jabes Galaad quadringentæ virgines, quæ nescierunt viri thorum: et adduxerunt eas ad castra in Silo, in terram Chanaan.

Four hundred was the toll of unwedded maids they took at Jabes-Galaad, and when these had been brought across the river to the encampment at Silo,

And they sent messengers to the children of Benjamin, that were in the rock Remmon, and commanded them to receive them in peace.

Miseruntque nuntios ad filios Benjamin, qui erant in petra Remmon, et præceperunt eis, ut eos susciperent in pace.

they sent to the Benjamites at the rock of Remmon under safe-conduct,

And the children of Benjamin came at that time, and wives were given them of the daughters of Jabes Galaad: but they found no others, whom they might give in like manner.

Veneruntque filii Benjamin in illo tempore, et datæ sunt eis uxores de filiabus Jabes Galaad: alias autem non repererunt, quas simili modo traderent.

bidding them come and take their wives there and then, daughters of Jabes-Galaad.But where could any more be found, to suffice them?

And all Israel was very sorry, and repented for the destroying of one tribe out of Israel.

Universusque Israël valde doluit, et egit pœnitentiam super interfectione unius tribus ex Israël.

Still the whole of Israel was full of remorse, grieving over a tribe lost to Israel;

And the ancients said: What shall we do with the rest, that have not received wives? for all the women in Benjamin are dead.

Dixeruntque majores natu: Quid faciemus reliquis, qui non acceperunt uxores? omnes in Benjamin feminæ conciderunt,

still the elders were at a loss what to do for the rest of the Benjamites; Here are all their women-folk slain, they said,

And we must use all care, and provide with great diligence, that one tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

et magna nobis cura, ingentique studio providendum est, ne una tribus deleatur ex Israël.

and Israel must not lose a tribe, if care or thought of ours can prevent it.

For as to our own daughters we cannot give them, being bound with an oath and a curse, whereby we said: Cursed be he that shall give Benjamin any of his daughters to wife.

Filias enim nostras eis dare non possumus, constricti juramento et maledictione qua diximus: Maledictus qui dederit de filiabus suis uxorem Benjamin.

Yet how should we find brides for them, pledged as we are by oath and ban not to give our daughters to Benjamin?

So they took counsel, and said: Behold there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord in Silo, which is situate on the north of the city of Bethel, and on the east side of the way, that goeth from Bethel to Sichem, and on the south of the town of Lebona.

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.

At last they bethought themselves of a feast that is held every year in the Lord’s honour near Silo, at a place north of Bethel, south of Lebona, and east of the road from Bethel to Sichem.

And they commanded the children of Benjamin, and said: Go, and lie hid in the vineyards,

Præceperuntque filiis Benjamin, atque dixerunt: Ite, et latitate in vineis.

Go and hide in these vineyards, they told the Benjamites,

And when you shall see the daughters of Silo come out, as the custom is, to dance, come ye on a sudden out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife among them, and go into the land of Benjamin.

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.

and before long you will see the maids of Silo come out to perform their customary dances. Then spring out upon them from the vineyards on a sudden, each of you carrying off a wife for himself, and so return to the lands of Benjamin.

And when their fathers and their brethren shall come, and shall begin to complain against you, and to chide, we will say to them: Have pity on them: for they took them not away as by the right of war or conquest, but when they asked to have them, you gave them not, and the fault was committed on your part.

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.

When their fathers and brethren come to make angry complaints of you, we will say, Forgive them; they did not claim to carry the maids off by right of conquest. You provoked them to this by refusing your consent.

And the children of Benjamin did, as they had been commanded: and according to their number, they carried off for themselves every man his wife of them that were dancing: and they went into their possession and built up their cities, and dwelt in them.

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.

So the men of Benjamin did as they were bidden, each of them carrying off a wife for himself when the maids came out dancing; and when they were back in their own domain they built new cities to dwell in.

The children of Israel also returned by their tribes, and families, to their dwellings. In those days there was no king in Israel: but every one did that which seemed right to himself.

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.

And each son of Israel went back to the dwelling-place of his own clan, his own family. This was in the days before any king ruled in Israel, when men lived by the best light they had.