Laitloekkung 21
1 Te dongah Israel hlang loh Mizpah ah ol a caeng uh tih, “Mamih khuiah pakhat long khaw a tanu te Benjamin yuu la pae boel saeh,” a ti uh.
The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, “None of us will allow our daughters to marry a Benjamite.”
2 Te phoeiah pilnam te Bethel la cet uh tih BOEIPA mikhmuh ah kholaeh duela ngol uh. Te vaengah a rhah ol a huel uh tih hluk hluk rhap uh.
The Israelites went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, crying loudly in distress.
3 Te dongah “Israel Pathen BOEIPA aw, Israel koca pakhat khui lamloh hloep aka buel uh ham te tihnin ah balae tih Israel taengah a om,” a ti uh.
“Lord, God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel?” they asked. “Today one of our tribes is missing from Israel.”
4 A vuen ah pilnam te thoo tih hmueihtuk a suem uh. Te phoeiah hmueihhlutnah neh rhoepnah te a nawn uh.
The next day they got up early, built an altar, and brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.
5 Tedae, “BOEIPA taengah Mizpah la aka cet pawt tah duek rhoela duek saeh,” a ti tih olhlo puei a om dongah Israel ca rhoek loh, “Israel koca boeih khuiah BOEIPA taengkah hlangping lakli la aka mop pawt te ulae,” a ti uh.
“Which of all the tribes of Israel didn't attend the assembly we held before the Lord?” they asked. For they had sworn a sacred oath that anyone who did not come before the Lord at Mizpah would without exception be executed.
6 Te daengah Israel ca rhoek loh a manuca Benjamin soah damti uh tih, “Israel khuiah koca pakhat tah tihnin ah pat coeng.
The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin, saying, “Today one tribe has been hacked off from Israel!
7 Mah tanu te amih yuu la paek pawt ham mamih loh BOEIPA taengah n'toemngam uh dongah aka sueng rhoek ham a yuu metlam m'vawt uh eh,” a ti uh.
What shall we do about wives for those who are left, since we have sworn an oath before the Lord that we will not allow any of our daughters to marry them?”
8 Te dongah, “Israel koca khuikah pakhat khaw BOEIPA taengah Mizpah la aka mop pawt te melae,” a ti uh daengah Jabesh Gilead rhaehhmuen lamkah te hlangping taengah hlang pakhat khaw tarha mop pawh.
Then they asked, “Which one of all the tribes of Israel didn't attend the assembly we held before the Lord at Mizpah?” They found out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly,
9 Te dongah pilnam te a boel uh hatah te Jabesh Gilead khosa rhoek khui lamkah pakhat khaw om tangloeng pawh.
for once they had done a head count, there was nobody there from Jabesh-gilead.
10 Te dongah tatthai hlang khui lamkah rhaengpuei la hlang thawng hlai hnih te a tueih uh tih amih te a uen uh hatah, “Cet uh lamtah Jabesh Gilead kah huta camoe khosa rhoek te cunghang ha neh ngawn uh.
So the assembly sent twelve thousand of their best warriors there. They gave them orders, saying, “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with your swords, even the women and children.
11 Te phoeiah tongpa boeih hekah olka bangla saii uh lamtah thingkong dongah tongpa neh aka ming uh huta te khaw boeih thup uh,” a ti nah.
This is what you have to do: Destroy every male and every woman who has had sex with a man.”
12 Te dongah Jabesh Gilead kah khosa rhoek khuiah tongpa kah thingkong neh tongpa aka ming pawh hula, oila ya li a hmuh uh te khaw Kanaan kho kah Shiloh rhaehhmuen la a khuen uh.
They managed to find among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred virgins who had not had sex with a man. They took them to the camp in Shiloh, in the land of Canaan.
13 Te phoeiah rhaengpuei pum te a tueih uh tih Rimmon thaelpang kah Benjamin ca rhoek te a voek uh. Te vaengah rhoepnah neh amih te a khue uh.
Then the whole assembly sent a message to the Benjamites at Pomegranate Rock to tell them, “Peace!”
14 Benjamin khaw te vaeng khohnin ah ha mael coeng. Te dongah Jabesh Gilead lamkah huta aka hing duen te amih yuu la a paek uh dae amih ham rhoeh tah dang uh pawh.
So the men of Benjamin went back home, and gave to them the four hundred women from Jabesh-gilead who had been spared as wives. However, there wasn't enough for all of them.
15 Tedae BOEIPA loh Israel koca khuiah a puut a saii coeng dongah Benjamin ham khaw pilnam khaw hal van.
The people felt sorry for the Benjamites because the Lord had made this empty hole among the Israelite tribes.
16 Te dongah hlangboel khuikah a hamca rhoek, “Benjamin nu he a mitmoeng coeng dongah aka sueng rhoek ham a yuu metlam m'vawt pa eh,” a ti uh.
The elders of the assembly asked, “What shall we do to supply the remaining wives because all the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
17 Te phoeiah, “Benjamin rhalyong rhoek kah rho he Israel koca lamkah long khaw hmata boel saeh.
They added, “There have to be heirs for the Benjamite survivors—an Israelite tribe of Israel can't be wiped out.
18 Te phoeiah, 'Benjamin taengah huta aka pae tah thaephoei thil saeh,’ a ti tih Israel ca rhoek loh a toemngam coeng dongah mamih nu khui lamkah he amih taengah a yuu la pae ham khaw coeng pawh,” a ti uh.
But we can't let them have our daughters as wives, since we as the people of Israel swore a sacred oath, saying, ‘Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite is cursed!’”
19 Te phoeiah, “A kum kum kah BOEIPA khotue te Shiloh ah om oem ta te. Shiloh he Bethel tlangpuei, Bethel, Shekhem lamloh Lebonah tuithim duela aka luei longpuei kah khocuk ah om ta,” a ti uh.
Then they said, “Look! Every year there's the Lord's festival in Shiloh. It's held north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, south of Lebonah.”
20 Te dongah Benjamin ca rhoek te a uen a uen uh tih, “Cet uh lamtah misur kung ah rhongngol uh.
So they ordered the Benjamites, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
21 Te vaengah so uh lamtah lam dongah thum ham Shiloh nu rhoek pawk ha thoeng uh ni. Te vaengah misur kung lamloh cuk thil uh lamtah namamih ham tu uh. Hlang boeih loh Shiloh nu te Benjamin kho ah na yuu la caeh puei uh.
Keep a lookout, and when you see the young women from Shiloh come out to perform their dances, run out from the vineyards, and each of you abduct a wife for yourself and go back home to the land of Benjamin.
22 Te vaengah a napa rhoek khaw, a nganpa rhoek khaw halo vetih mamih taengah aka ho khaw om ni. Tedae amih te, 'Kaimih he ng'rhen uh mai, caemtloek vaengah a yuu la hlang ka dang pa uh oeh pawh. Amih te a tuetang vaengah nangmih loh na pae uh pawt koinih na lolh uh ni,’ ka ti na uh bitni,” a ti nauh.
If their fathers or brothers come complaining to us, we'll tell them, ‘Please do us a favor, because we couldn't find enough wives for them in the war. And it's not as if you're guilty of breaking the oath since you didn't give them in marriage.”
23 Te dongah Benjamin ca rhoek loh a saii uh tih amamih tarhing ah huta a khuen uh. Aka lam rhoek khui lamkah te a tuuk uh daengah cet uh tih a rho te a paan uh. Te phoeiah khopuei te a khoeng uh tih a khuiah kho a sak uh.
The Benjaminites did as they were ordered. Each man grabbed one of the women dancers up to the total needed and carried her off to be his wife. Then they went back to their own land, where they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.
24 Israel ca rhoek khaw tekah khohnin daengah te lamkah te amah koca rhoek neh a huiko taengla nong uh tih amah rho te rhip a paan uh.
Then the Israelites left and went home to their tribes and families, each one going to the land they owned.
25 Te vaeng tue ah khaw Israel khuiah manghai tal tih hlang boeih loh a mik dongkah a thuem sak bangla a saii uh.
At that time Israel didn't have a king—everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.
