< Judges 21 >

1 Now the men of Israel had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, Not one of us will give his daughter as a wife to Benjamin.
Andũ acio a Isiraeli nĩmehĩtĩte mwĩhĩtwa marĩ kũu Mizipa makoiga atĩrĩ, “Gũtirĩ o na ũmwe witũ ũkaaneana mũirĩtu wake ahikio nĩ Mũbenjamini.”
2 And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
Andũ acio nĩmathiire Betheli, kũrĩa maikarire mbere ya Ngai o nginya hwaĩ-inĩ, makĩanĩrĩra na mũgambo makĩrĩra na kĩgirĩko kĩnene.
3 And they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this fate come on Israel, that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel?
Nao makiuga atĩrĩ, “Hĩ! Jehova Ngai wa Isiraeli, nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmĩte ũndũ ũyũ woneke Isiraeli? Nĩ kĩĩ gĩgũtũma mũhĩrĩga ũmwe ũkorwo ũtarĩ ho thĩinĩ wa Isiraeli ũmũthĩ?”
4 Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
Mũthenya ũyũ ũngĩ rũciinĩ tene andũ magĩaka kĩgongona na makĩruta maruta ma njino o na maruta ma ũiguano.
5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel, who did not come up to the Lord at the meeting of all Israel? For they had taken a great oath that whoever did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord was to be put to death.
Hĩndĩ ĩyo andũ a Isiraeli makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Mĩhĩrĩga-inĩ yothe ya Isiraeli-rĩ, nũũ ũtokĩte kũngana haha mbere ya Jehova?” Nĩgũkorwo nĩmeehĩtĩte mwĩhĩtwa mũrũmu atĩ ũrĩa ũkwaga gũũka kĩũngano mbere ya Jehova kũu Mizipa ti-itherũ nĩagĩrĩire kũũragwo.
6 And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
Na rĩrĩ, andũ a Isiraeli magĩcakaya nĩ ũndũ wa ariũ a ithe wao, andũ a Benjamini, na makiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũmũthĩ mũhĩrĩga ũmwe nĩmweherie kuuma Isiraeli.
7 What are we to do about wives for those who are still living? For we have taken an oath by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters for wives.
Tũngĩhota atĩa kuonera arĩa matigarĩte atumia, kuona atĩ nĩtwĩhĩtĩte mwĩhĩtwa mbere ya Jehova atĩ tũtikaamahe airĩtu aitũ mamahikie?”
8 And they said, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And it was seen that no one had come from Jabesh-gilead to the meeting.
Magĩcooka makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ mũhĩrĩga ũrĩkũ wa Isiraeli ũtokĩte kĩũngano-inĩ mbere ya Jehova kũu Mizipa?” Nao makĩmenya atĩ gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe kuuma Jabeshi-Gileadi wokĩte kambĩ-inĩ ĩyo nĩ ũndũ wa kĩũngano kĩu.
9 For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
Tondũ rĩrĩa maatarire andũ, nĩmamenyire atĩ gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe kuuma Jabeshi-Gileadi warĩ kuo.
10 So they (the meeting) sent twelve thousand of the best fighting-men, and gave them orders, saying, Go and put the people of Jabesh-gilead to the sword without mercy, with their women and their little ones.
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio kĩũngano kĩu gĩgĩtũma andũ a kũrũa 12,000 marĩ na mawatho mathiĩ nginya Jabeshi-Gileadi na moorage arĩa maatũũraga kuo na rũhiũ rwa njora, gwata atumia na ciana.
11 And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so.
Nao makiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũũ nĩguo mũgwĩka, ũragai mũndũ mũrũme o wothe na mũndũ-wa-nja o wothe ũrĩa ũtarĩ gathirange.”
12 Now there were among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never had sex relations with a man; these they took to their tents in Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
Nao magĩkora gatagatĩ-inĩ ka andũ arĩa maatũũraga kũu Jabeshi-Gileadi airĩtu magana mana arĩa mataakomete na mũndũ mũrũme, makĩmatwara kambĩ ĩrĩa yarĩ Shilo kũu Kaanani.
13 And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
Ningĩ kĩũngano gĩothe gĩgĩtũma ihooya rĩa thayũ kũrĩ andũ a Benjamini o hau rwaro-inĩ rwa ihiga rĩa Rimoni.
14 Then Benjamin came back; and they gave them the women whom they had kept from death among the women of Jabesh-gilead: but still there were not enough for them.
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Benjamini makĩhũndũka ihinda o rĩu na makĩheo andũ-a-nja a Jabeshi-Gileadi arĩa matooragĩtwo. No matingĩamaiganire.
15 And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
Nao andũ magĩcakaĩra andũ a Benjamini, tondũ Jehova nĩatũmire hagĩe na ithenya mĩhĩrĩga-inĩ ya Isiraeli.
16 Then the responsible men of the meeting said, What are we to do about wives for the rest of them, seeing that the women of Benjamin are dead?
Nao athuuri arĩa akũrũ a kĩũngano makiuga atĩrĩ, “Tondũ andũ-a-nja a Benjamini nĩaniine-rĩ, tũkuonera arũme arĩa matigaire atumia kũ?”
17 And they said, How is the rest of Benjamin to be given offspring so that one tribe of Israel may not be put out of existence,
Makiuga atĩrĩ, “Abenjamini arĩa maahonokire no nginya magĩe na a kũmagaya, nĩguo gũtikagĩe mũhĩrĩga o na ũmwe wa Isiraeli ũkũniinũkio.
18 Seeing that we may not give them our daughters as wives? For the children of Israel had taken an oath, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
Tũtingĩmahe airĩtu aitũ matuĩke atumia ao, nĩgũkorwo ithuĩ andũ a Isiraeli nĩtwehĩtire mwĩhĩtwa ũyũ: ‘Kũrumwo-rĩ, nĩ mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩhe Mũbenjamini mũtumia.’
19 And they said, See, every year there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is to the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway which goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
No rĩrĩ, nĩkũgĩaga gĩathĩ kĩa Jehova o mwaka kũu Shilo, mwena wa gathigathini wa Betheli, na mwena wa irathĩro wa njĩra ĩrĩa ĩthiiaga kuuma Betheli nginya Shekemu, na mwena wa gũthini wa Lebona.”
20 And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio magĩatha andũ a Benjamini, makĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Thiĩi mwĩhithe kũu mĩgũnda-inĩ ya mĩthabibũ
21 And watching; and if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then come from the vine-gardens and take a wife for every one of you from among the daughters of Shiloh, and go back to the land of Benjamin.
na mũikare mũkĩroraga. Rĩrĩa airĩtu a Shilo mariumĩra meturanĩre na arĩa angĩ rwĩmbo-inĩ-rĩ, mũguthũke kuuma mĩgũnda-inĩ ya mĩthabibũ, na o mũndũ ehurĩrie mũtumia kuuma kũrĩ airĩtu acio a Shilo, na mũthiĩ bũrũri wa Benjamini.
22 And when their fathers or their brothers come and make trouble, you are to say to them, Give them to us as an act of grace; for we did not take them as wives for ourselves in war; and if you yourselves had given them to us you would have been responsible for the broken oath.
Rĩrĩa maithe mao kana ariũ a maithe mao magaatũrehera thitango, tũkaameera atĩrĩ, ‘Twĩkei wega na kũmateithia, tondũ tũtiamooneire atumia hĩndĩ ya mbaara, no inyuĩ mũtirĩ na mahĩtia, tondũ mũtiamaheire airĩtu anyu.’”
23 So the men of Benjamin did this, and got wives for themselves for every one of their number, taking them away by force from the dance; then they went back to their heritage, building up their towns and living in them.
Ũguo nĩguo andũ a Benjamini meekire. O rĩrĩa airĩtu maainaga-rĩ, o mũndũ akĩnyiita ũmwe, na akĩmũkuua agatuĩke mũtumia wake. Hĩndĩ ĩyo magĩcooka kũrĩ igai rĩao, magĩaka matũũra mao rĩngĩ, na magĩtũũra kuo.
24 Then the children of Israel went away from there, every man to his tribe and his family, every man went back to his heritage.
Na ihinda rĩu andũ a Isiraeli makiuma kũndũ kũu, makĩinũka mũciĩ kũrĩ mĩhĩrĩga yao na nyũmba ciao, o mũndũ kũrĩ igai rĩake.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.
Matukũ-inĩ macio Isiraeli gũtiarĩ na mũthamaki; o mũndũ ekaga ũrĩa oonaga kwagĩrĩire.

< Judges 21 >