1Now the men of Yisra’el had sworn in Mitzpah, saying, “There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Binyamin for a wife.” 2And the people came to Beit El, and sat there till evening before Elohim, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore. 3And they said, “O יהוה , Elohei Yisra’el, why is this come to pass in Yisra’el, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Yisra’el?” 4And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered Olot and Sh’lamim offerings.
5And B’nei Yisra’el said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Yisra’el that came not up in the assembly unto יהוה ?” For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto יהוה to Mitzpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” 6And B’nei Yisra’el repented them for Binyamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Yisra’el this day. 7How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by יהוה that we will not give them of our daughters for wives?” 8And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Yisra’el that came not up unto יהוה to Mitzpah?” And, behold, there came none to the camp from Yavesh Gilad to the assembly. 9For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad there. 10And the assembly sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant ones, and commanded them, saying, “Go and smite the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones. 11And this is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that has lain by man.” 12And they found among the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Kena’an.
13And the whole assembly sent and spoke to the children of Binyamin that were in the rock of Rimon, and proclaimed shalom unto them. 14And Binyamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Yavesh Gilad; and yet so they sufficed them not. 15And the people repented them for Binyamin, because that יהוה had made a breach in the tribes of Yisra’el. 16Then the elders of the assembly said, “How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Binyamin?” 17And they said, “They that are escaped must be as an inheritance for Binyamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Yisra’el. 18But we may not give them wives of our daughters.” For B’nei Yisra’el had sworn, saying, “Cursed be he that gives a wife to Binyamin.”
19And they said, “Behold, there is the feast of יהוה from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beit El, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Beit El to Shekhem, and on the south of Levonah.” 20And they commanded the children of Binyamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then you come out of the vineyards, and catch every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Binyamin. 22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to strive with us, that we will say unto them, ‘Grant them graciously unto us; because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle; neither did you give them unto them, that you should now be guilty.”
23And the children of Binyamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they carried off; and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. 24And B’nei Yisra’el 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.
25In those days there was no melekh in Yisra’el; every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
אוְאִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁבַּע בַּמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר: אִישׁ מִמֶּנּוּ לֹא יִתֵּן בִּתּוֹ לְבִנְיָמִן לְאִשָּׁה. בוַיָּבֹא הָעָם בֵּית אֵל וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם עַד הָעֶרֶב לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים; וַיִּשְׂאוּ קוֹלָם וַיִּבְכּוּ בְּכִי גָדוֹל. גוַיֹּאמְרוּ לָמָה יהוה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיְתָה זֹאת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל : לְהִפָּקֵד הַיּוֹם מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל שֵׁבֶט אֶחָד. דוַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ הָעָם וַיִּבְנוּ שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ; וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלוֹת וּשְׁלָמִים.
הוַיֹּאמְרוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָלָה בַקָּהָל מִכָּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל יהוה : כִּי הַשְּׁבוּעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הָיְתָה לַאֲשֶׁר לֹא עָלָה אֶל יהוה הַמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר מוֹת יוּמָת. ווַיִּנָּחֲמוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל בִּנְיָמִן אָחִיו; וַיֹּאמְרוּ נִגְדַּע הַיּוֹם שֵׁבֶט אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. זמַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לָהֶם לַנּוֹתָרִים לְנָשִׁים; וַאֲנַחְנוּ נִשְׁבַּעְנוּ בַיהוה לְבִלְתִּי תֵּת לָהֶם מִבְּנוֹתֵינוּ לְנָשִׁים. חוַיֹּאמְרוּ מִי אֶחָד מִשִּׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָלָה אֶל יהוה הַמִּצְפָּה; וְהִנֵּה לֹא בָא אִישׁ אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה מִיָּבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אֶל הַקָּהָל. טוַיִּתְפָּקֵד הָעָם; וְהִנֵּה אֵין שָׁם אִישׁ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵשׁ גִּלְעָד. יוַיִּשְׁלְחוּ שָׁם הָעֵדָה שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אֶלֶף אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי הֶחָיִל; וַיְצַוּוּ אוֹתָם לֵאמֹר לְכוּ וְהִכִּיתֶם אֶת יוֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵשׁ גִּלְעָד לְפִי חֶרֶב וְהַנָּשִׁים וְהַטָּף. יאוְזֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשׂוּ: כָּל זָכָר וְכָל אִשָּׁה יֹדַעַת מִשְׁכַּב זָכָר תַּחֲרִימוּ. יבוַיִּמְצְאוּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת נַעֲרָה בְתוּלָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ לְמִשְׁכַּב זָכָר; וַיָּבִאוּ אוֹתָם אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה שִׁלֹה אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן.
יגוַיִּשְׁלְחוּ כָּל הָעֵדָה וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֶל בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן אֲשֶׁר בְּסֶלַע רִמּוֹן; וַיִּקְרְאוּ לָהֶם שָׁלוֹם. ידוַיָּשָׁב בִּנְיָמִן בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיִּתְּנוּ לָהֶם הַנָּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר חִיּוּ מִנְּשֵׁי יָבֵשׁ גִּלְעָד; וְלֹא מָצְאוּ לָהֶם כֵּן. טווְהָעָם נִחָם לְבִנְיָמִן: כִּי עָשָׂה יהוה פֶּרֶץ בְּשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. טזוַיֹּאמְרוּ זִקְנֵי הָעֵדָה מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לַנּוֹתָרִים לְנָשִׁים: כִּי נִשְׁמְדָה מִבִּנְיָמִן אִשָּׁה. יזוַיֹּאמְרוּ יְרֻשַּׁת פְּלֵיטָה לְבִנְיָמִן; וְלֹא יִמָּחֶה שֵׁבֶט מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. יחוַאֲנַחְנוּ לֹא נוּכַל לָתֵת לָהֶם נָשִׁים מִבְּנוֹתֵינוּ: כִּי נִשְׁבְּעוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אָרוּר נֹתֵן אִשָּׁה לְבִנְיָמִן.
יטוַיֹּאמְרוּ הִנֵּה חַג יהוה בְּשִׁלוֹ מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה אֲשֶׁר מִצְּפוֹנָה לְבֵית אֵל מִזְרְחָה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לִמְסִלָּה הָעֹלָה מִבֵּית אֵל שְׁכֶמָה וּמִנֶּגֶב לִלְבוֹנָה. כויצו (וַיְצַוּוּ) אֶת בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן לֵאמֹר: לְכוּ וַאֲרַבְתֶּם בַּכְּרָמִים. כאוּרְאִיתֶם וְהִנֵּה אִם יֵצְאוּ בְנוֹת שִׁילוֹ לָחוּל בַּמְּחֹלוֹת וִיצָאתֶם מִן הַכְּרָמִים וַחֲטַפְתֶּם לָכֶם אִישׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ מִבְּנוֹת שִׁילוֹ; וַהֲלַכְתֶּם אֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן. כבוְהָיָה כִּי יָבֹאוּ אֲבוֹתָם אוֹ אֲחֵיהֶם לרוב (לָרִיב) אֵלֵינוּ וְאָמַרְנוּ אֲלֵיהֶם חָנּוּנוּ אוֹתָם כִּי לֹא לָקַחְנוּ אִישׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָה: כִּי לֹא אַתֶּם נְתַתֶּם לָהֶם כָּעֵת תֶּאְשָׁמוּ.
כגוַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֵן בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן וַיִּשְׂאוּ נָשִׁים לְמִסְפָּרָם מִן הַמְּחֹלְלוֹת אֲשֶׁר גָּזָלוּ; וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּשׁוּבוּ אֶל נַחֲלָתָם וַיִּבְנוּ אֶת הֶעָרִים וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בָּהֶם. כדוַיִּתְהַלְּכוּ מִשָּׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵת הַהִיא אִישׁ לְשִׁבְטוֹ וּלְמִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ; וַיֵּצְאוּ מִשָּׁם אִישׁ לְנַחֲלָתוֹ.
כהבַּיָּמִים הָהֵם אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל: אִישׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶׂה.
Shmu’el Alef 1
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 