21–BOB
Benyamin yigitlari uchun kelinlar
1 Isroil xalqi Mispaxdagi yigʻinda: “Birontamiz ham Benyamin qabilasiga qiz uzatmaymiz”, — deb ont ichgan edi. 2 Benyamin qabilasi bilan boʻlgan urushdan keyin Isroil xalqi Baytilga borib, Xudoning huzurida kechgacha oʻtirdi. Ular faryod koʻtarib: 3 “Ey Isroil xalqining Xudosi — Egamiz, nega bunday koʻrgilik boshimizga tushdi?! Nega Isroilning bir qabilasi yoʻq boʻlib ketdi?!” deya achchiq–achchiq yigʻladilar.
4 Ertasi kuni odamlar barvaqt turib, u yerda qurbongoh qurdilar. Ular kuydiriladigan qurbonliklar va tinchlik qurbonliklarini keltirdilar. 5 Keyin bir–birlaridan: “Isroil qabilalaridan Egamiz huzurida oʻtkazilgan yigʻinga kelmaganlar bormi?” deb soʻradilar. Chunki ular, Mispaxda — Egamiz huzurida oʻtkazilgan yigʻinda ishtirok etmagan har bir kishining jazosi oʻlimdir, deb qatʼiy bir qasam ichgan edilar. 6 Isroil xalqi oʻz jigari boʻlgan Benyamin qabilasiga achinib: “Evoh, bugun Isroilning bir qabilasi yoʻq boʻldi”, deya koʻp oʻkindi. 7 “Oʻsha qabiladan faqatgina bir nechta yigit omon qoldi, xolos. Endi ular uchun qayerdan qiz topamiz? Birontamiz ularga qiz uzatmaymiz, deb Egamizning nomi bilan qasam ichgan edik–ku!”
8 Isroil xalqi: “Mispaxdagi yigʻinda qatnashmaganlar bormi?” deya surishtira boshladi. Shunda Giladdagi Yobosh shahrining aholisi yigʻinda qatnashmaganligi maʼlum boʻldi. 9 Chunki yoʻqlama qilinganda oʻsha shahardan hech kim yoʻq edi. 10 Butun jamoa oʻn ikki ming jangchini tanlab, ularga: “Boringlar, Giladdagi Yobosh shahrining butun aholisini qirib tashlanglar, xotinu bola–chaqalarini ham ayamanglar!” dedi. 11 “Har bir erkak va er koʻrgan har bir ayol oʻldirilsin.” 12 Jangchilar Yobosh aholisining orasidan toʻrt yuzta er koʻrmagan, yosh bokira qizni topib, ularni Kanʼon yurtidagi Shiloʻ qarorgohiga olib keldilar.
13 Keyin butun jamoa Rimmon qoyasidagi Benyamin odamlariga xabar yuborib, tinchlik eʼlon qildi. 14 Benyamin odamlari oʻz uylariga qaytib borishdi. Isroil xalqi Giladdagi Yobosh aholisining omon qolgan qizlarini ularga turmushga berdi. Ammo qizlarning soni Benyamin odamlariga qaraganda kamroq edi.
15 Isroil xalqi Benyamin qabilasiga nihoyatda achinar edi, chunki Egamiz ularni deyarli yoʻq qilib yuborgan edi. 16 Shunda jamoa oqsoqollari shunday dedilar:
— Obbo, endi qolgan Benyamin oʻgʻillariga qayerdan qiz topib beramiz? Ularning qabilasidan bironta qiz ham tirik qolmadi–ku! 17 Benyamin qabilasi Isroildan batamom yoʻq boʻlib ketmasligi uchun omon qolganlari nasl qoldirishlari kerak. 18 Lekin shunisi ham borki, biz: “Benyamin qabilasiga qiz uzatgan laʼnati boʻlgay!” deb qasam ichib qoʻydik, endi ularga qiz uzata olmaymiz.
19 Shunda odamlardan bittasi:
— Ha, aytgancha, Egamizga bagʻishlab Shiloʻda har yili oʻtkaziladigan bayram haqida nima deysizlar? — dedi. — Lavoʻn va Baytil shaharlarining oʻrtasida joylashgan bu shahar, Baytildan Shakamga ketadigan yoʻlning shundoq yonginasida–ku.
20 Oqsoqollar Benyamin qabilasidan boʻlgan boʻydoq yigitlarga shunday uqtirdilar:
— Boringlar, uzumzorlarda yashirinib, 21 poylab turinglar. Shiloʻ qizlari oʻyinga chiqqanda, uzumzordan chiqib, har biringiz oʻzlaringiz uchun qiz olib qochinglar. 22 Qizlarning otalari yoki aka–ukalari oldimizga shikoyat qilib keladigan boʻlishsa, biz ularga shunday deymiz: “Qizlaringizni olib qolishimizga ijozat beringlar. Tushuninglar axir, biz Giladdagi Yoboshga hujum qilganimizda Benyamin yigitlari uchun yetarlicha qiz olib kela olmadik. Garchi Benyamin yigitlari qizlaringizni olib qochgan boʻlsa–da, sizlar qasamni buzgan hisoblanmaysizlar.”
23 Benyamin odamlari Shiloʻga borib, uzumzorlarda yashirinib oldilar. Qizlar raqsga tushganlarida ular oʻzlari uchun bittadan qiz olib qochdilar. Soʻng olib qochgan qizlari bilan uylariga qaytib ketdilar, shaharlarini tiklab, oʻsha joyda yashadilar. 24 Butun Isroil jamoasi ham uy–uylariga, qabilalari va oilalariga qaytib bordi.
25 Oʻsha davrlarda Isroilda shoh yoʻq edi. Har bir odam bilganini qilar edi.
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. 2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 3 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel? 4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
8 ¶ And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. 11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them. 14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. 15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 ¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? 17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty. 23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. 24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
