Suci 21
1 Izraelovi se ljudi bijahu ovako zakleli u Mispi: “Nitko od nas neće dati svoju kćer za ženu Benjaminovu sinu.”
When the Israeli men gathered at Mizpah [before the battle started], they vowed, “None of us will ever allow one of our daughters to marry any man from the tribe of Benjamin!”
2 I ode narod u Betel i ostade ondje pred Bogom do večeri, naričući i jecajući.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 Govorili su: “Zašto se, o Jahve, Bože Izraelov, ova nesreća morala dogoditi da Izraelu danas nestane jednog plemena?”
They kept saying, “Yahweh, God of us Israeli people, [it is as though] one of the tribes of us Israelis does not exist any more! (Why has this happened to us?/It is terrible that this has happened to us!)” [RHQ]
4 Sutradan uraniše ljudi i sagradiše ondje žrtvenik; prinesoše paljenice i žrtve zahvalnice.
Early the next morning the people built an altar. Then they completely burned some sacrifices [on the altar], and also offered other sacrifices to maintain fellowship with God.
5 Tad zapitaše Izraelci: “Ima li koga među svim plemenima Izraelovim da nije došao na zbor Jahvi?” Jer su se svečano zakleli da će pogubiti onoga tko ne dođe u Mispu k Jahvi.
Then, because they had vowed that anyone who did not meet with them at Mizpah [to help fight the men of the tribe of Benjamin] would be killed, they asked among themselves, “Were there any of the tribes of Israel who did not come to Mizpah to meet with us in the presence of Yahweh?”
6 Izraelcima se sada sažalilo na brata Benjamina te rekoše: “Danas je otkinuto jedno pleme od Izraela.
The Israelis felt sorry for their fellow Israelis from the tribe of Benjamin. They said, “Today one of our Israeli tribes (has disappeared/no longer exists).
7 Kako ćemo dati žene onima koji su preostali kad se zaklesmo Jahvom da im nećemo dati svojih kćeri za žene?”
Yahweh heard us solemnly declare that we would not allow any of our daughters to marry any man from the tribe of Benjamin. What can we do to make certain that the men of the tribe of Benjamin who were not killed will have wives?”
8 Zato zapitaše: “Ima li koga među Izraelovim plemenima da nije došao k Jahvi u Mispu?” I pronađe se da nije došao u tabor, na zbor, nitko od žitelja Jabeša u Gileadu.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Jer kada se narod prebrojio, ondje ne bijaše nikoga od žitelja Jabeša u Gileadu.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Zato zajednica posla onamo dvanaest tisuća hrabrih ljudi i zapovjedi im: “Idite i posijecite oštrim mačem stanovnike Jabeša u Gileadu, zajedno sa ženama i djecom.
So all the Israelis decided to send 12,000 very good soldiers to Jabesh-Gilead to kill the people there with their swords, even to kill the married women and children.
11 Evo što ćete učiniti: izručit ćete prokletstvu sve muškarce i sve žene što su dijelile postelju sa čovjekom, ali ćete sačuvati život djevicama.” Tako i učiniše.
[They told this to those men]: “This is what you must do: You must kill every man in Jabesh-Gilead. You must also kill every married woman. [But do not kill the unmarried women].”
12 I našli su među stanovnicima Jabeša u Gileadu četiri stotine mladih djevojaka koje nisu dijelile postelje s čovjekom i doveli su ih u tabor u Šilu, koji je u Kanaanu.
So those soldiers [went to Jabesh-Gilead and killed all the men, married women, and children. But they] found 400 unmarried young women there. So they brought them to their camp at Shiloh, in Canaan, [across the river from the Gilead area that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin].
13 Sva zajednica posla tada poslanike Benjaminovcima koji bijahu na Rimonskoj stijeni: objaviše im mir.
Then all the Israelis [who had gathered] sent a message to the 600 men who were at Rimmon Rock. They said that they would like to make peace with them.
14 Tako se oporavi Benjamin. Dadoše im one među ženama iz Jabeša u Gileadu koje su ostavili na životu, ali ih ne bijaše dovoljno za sve.
So the men came back from Rimmon Rock. The Israelis gave to them the women from Jabesh-Gilead whom they had not killed. But there were [only 400 women. But there were] not enough women [for those 600 men].
15 Narodu se sažalio Benjamin što je Jahve načinio prazninu među Izraelovim plemenima.
The Israelis [still] felt sorry for the men of the tribe of Benjamin, because Yahweh had (decimated/almost wiped out) one of the Israeli tribes.
16 “Kako ćemo naći žene onima što su ostali”, rekoše starješine zbora, “kad su Benjaminu istrijebljene žene?”
The Israeli leaders said, “We have killed all the married women of the tribe of Benjamin. Where can we get women to be wives of the men who are still alive?
17 Rekoše još: “Kako sačuvati ostatak Benjaminu da se ne zatre jedno pleme iz Izraela?
These men must have wives to give birth to children, in order that their families will continue. If that does not happen, all the people of one of the tribes of Israel will die.
18 A ne možemo im dati svoje kćeri za žene.” Jer se bijahu zakleli rekavši: “Proklet bio onaj koji dade ženu Benjaminu!”
But we cannot allow our daughters to marry these men, because we vowed that Yahweh will curse anyone who gives one of his daughters to become a wife of any man of the tribe of Benjamin.”
19 “Ali”, rekoše, “svake se godine slavi u Šilu Jahvina svetkovina.” Grad se nalazi na sjeveru od Betela, istočno od ceste koja vodi iz Betela u Šekem i južno od Lebone.
Then [one of] them (had an idea/thought of something that they could do). He said, “Every year there is a festival to honor Yahweh at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel and east of the road that extends from Bethel to Shechem, and it is south of Lebonah [city].”
20 I zato svjetovaše Benjaminovce: “Idite u zasjedu po vinogradima.
So the Israeli leaders told the men of the tribe of Benjamin, “[When it is the time for that festival], go to Shiloh and hide in the vineyards.
21 Pazite, pa kada djevojke iz Šila iziđu da plešu u kolu, vi iskočite iz vinograda, otmite svaki sebi ženu između šilskih kćeri pa otiđite u Benjaminovu zemlju.
Keep watching for the young women to come out of the city to dance. [When they come out], all of you should run out of the vineyards. Each of you can seize one of the young women of Shiloh. Then you can all return to your homes [with those women].
22 A kad njihovi očevi ili njihova braća dođu da se prituže na vas, mi ćemo im reći: 'Oprostite im što je svaki uzeo po ženu kao u ratu; vi im ih niste dali, pa je tako krivnja na vama.'”
If their fathers or brothers come to us and complain [about what you have done], we will say to them, ‘Be kind to the men of the tribe of Benjamin. When we fought them, we did not leave any women alive to become their wives, and you did not give those young women to the men from the tribe of Benjamin. [They stole them]. So you will not be guilty, [even though you said that you would not allow any of your daughters to marry one of them].’”
23 Benjaminovci učiniše tako i od djevojaka koje oteše uzeše onoliki broj žena koliko bijaše njih. Onda odoše svaki na svoju baštinu, sagradiše opet gradove i naseliše se u njima.
So that is what the men of the tribe of Benjamin did. [They went to Shiloh at the time of the festival]. And when the young women were dancing, each man caught one of them and took her away and married her. Then they took their wives back to the land that God had given to them. They rebuilt their cities [that had been burned down], and they lived there.
24 Izraelci se tada raziđoše, svaki u svoje pleme i u svoj rod, i svaki se odande vrati na svoju baštinu.
The other Israelis went to their homes in the areas where their tribes and clans lived, the areas that God had allotted to them.
25 U to vrijeme ne bijaše kralja u Izraelu i svatko je živio kako mu se činilo da je pravo.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
