< 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.
Abasajja ba Isirayiri baali beerayiridde e Mizupa nti, “Tewabanga n’omu ku ffe awaayo muwala we okufumbirwa Benyamini.”
2 And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
Awo abantu ne bagenda e Beseri ne batuula eyo okutuusa akawungeezi nga bakaabira Katonda, nga bayimusa eddoboozi lyabwe, nga bakuba ebiwoobe,
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?
nga bakaaba nti, “Ayi Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri, lwaki kino kituuse ku Isirayiri leero, ekika ekimu okubula ku Isirayiri?”
4 Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
Awo ku lunaku olwaddirira, abantu ne bagolokoka ne bazimba ekyoto mu kifo ekyo, ne bawaayo ebiweebwayo ebyokebwa n’ebiweebwayo olw’emirembe.
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.
Abaana ba Isirayiri ne beebuuza nti, “Ani ku bika byonna ebya Isirayiri atazze kukuŋŋaana mu maaso ga Mukama Katonda?” Kubanga baali beerayiridde, ng’omuntu yenna alemwa okukuŋŋaana mu maaso ga Mukama e Mizupa, ateekwa kuttibwa.
6 And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
Abaana ba Isirayiri ne basaalirwa olwa Benyamini muganda waabwe nga bagamba nti, “Leero ekika ekimu ekya Isirayiri kisaliddwako.
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.
Tunaabakolera ki okubafunira abakazi, obanga ffe ffennyini twerayiridde eri Mukama obutabawa bawala baffe okubafumbirwa?”
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.
Ne beebuuza nti, “Kika ki ku bika bya Isirayiri ekitaayambuka Mizupa mu maaso ga Mukama Katonda?” Ne bazuula nga mu Yabesugireyaadi tewaavaayo muntu eyajja mu lukuŋŋaana.
9 For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
Bwe baalaba abantu, laba nga tewaliiwo mutuuze w’e Yabesugireyaadi.
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.
Awo ekibiina ne kitumayo abasajja abalwanyi omutwalo gumu mu enkumi bbiri, ne babalagira nti, “Mugende muzikirize n’ekitala abo bonna ababeera mu Yabesugireyaadi, obutalekaawo bakazi wadde abaana.
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.
Kino kye muba mukola. Mutte buli musajja na buli mukazi atali mbeerera.”
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.
Mu bantu abaabeeranga mu Yabesugireyaadi ne basangamu abawala ebikumi bina abaali embeerera, ne babatwala mu nkambi e Siiro mu nsi ya Kanani.
13 And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
Awo ekibiina kyonna ekyali kikuŋŋaanye ne kiweereza abaana ba Benyamini abaali ku lwazi lwa Limoni obubaka obw’emirembe.
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.
Awo Ababenyamini ne bakomawo mu kiseera ekyo, era ne baweebwa abawala abaawonawo ku bawala ab’e Yabesugireyaadi, naye ne batabamala bonna.
15 And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
Abantu ne basaalirwa olwa Benyamini kubanga Mukama Katonda yali abaawudde ku bika bya Isirayiri ebirala.
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?
Awo abakadde b’olukuŋŋaana ne bagamba nti, “Abakazi b’Ababenyamini baazikirizibwa, kaakano abasajja abasigaddewo, tunabalabira wa abakazi?
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,
Ababenyamini abaasigalawo bateekwa okufuna abasika, ekika kireme okusangulibwawo mu Isirayiri.
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.
Ate tetuyinza kubawa ku bawala baffe kubawasa, kubanga ffe abaana ba Isirayiri tweyama nga tugamba nti, ‘Akolimirwe aliwa Omubenyamini muwala we okumuwasa.’
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.
Kyokka waliwo embaga ya Mukama Katonda eya buli mwaka e Siiro, ekiri mu bukiikakkono bwa Beseri, n’obuvanjuba bw’oluguudo oluva e Beseri okudda e Sekemu, n’obukiikaddyo bwa Lebona.”
20 And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
Awo ne bagamba abaana ba Benyamini nti, “Mugende mwekweke mu nnimiro z’emizabbibu,
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.
muteege. Laba abawala b’e Siiro bwe banaafuluma okwegatta ku mazina, mudduke okuva mu nnimiro z’emizabbibu, mwefunire buli muntu omukazi ku bawala b’e Siiro, muddeyo mu nsi ya Benyamini.
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.
Awo bakitaabwe oba bannyinaabwe bwe balyemulugunya gye tuli, tulibagamba nti, ‘Mubatuwe lwa kisa, kubanga tetwabafunira bakazi mu lutalo, era olwokubanga temwababawa, temulina musango.’”
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.
Awo Ababenyamini ne bakola bwe batyo. Ne beewambira abawala ku abo abaali bazina, ne beddirayo mu busika bwabwe, ne baddamu okuzimba ebibuga byabwe ne babeera omwo.
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.
Mu kiseera ekyo n’abaana ba Isirayiri buli muntu mu kika kye ne yeddirayo mu busika bwe.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.
Mu biro ebyo tewaali kabaka mu Isirayiri; buli muntu yakolanga nga bw’ayagala.

< Judges 21 >