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.
Wana wa Israeli walikuwa wameapa kwa kiapo kule Mispa: “Hapana mtu yeyote atakayemwoza binti yake kwa Wabenyamini.”
2 And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
Watu wakaenda Betheli, wakaketi mbele za Mungu mpaka jioni, wakapaza sauti zao, wakalia sana.
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?
Wakasema, “Ee Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli, kwa nini jambo hili limewapata Waisraeli? Kwa nini kabila moja la Israeli limekosekana?”
4 Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
Kesho yake asubuhi na mapema watu wakajenga madhabahu na kuleta sadaka za kuteketezwa na sadaka za amani.
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.
Ndipo Waisraeli wakasema, “Ni kabila lipi la Israeli ambalo halikufika katika mkutano kumkaribia Bwana?” Kwa kuwa walikuwa wameweka kiapo kikuu kuwa yeyote asiyefika mbele za Bwana huko Mispa, kwa hakika angeuawa.
6 And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
Basi Waisraeli wakaghairi kwa ajili ya ndugu zao Wabenyamini, wakasema, “Leo kabila moja limekatiliwa mbali na Israeli.
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.
Sasa tutawezaje kuwapa mabinti zetu wawe wake zao kwa hao waliobaki maadamu tumeapa kwa Bwana kuwa hatutawapa binti zetu kuwa wake zao?”
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.
Ndipo wakasema, “Ni kabila lipi la Israeli ambalo halikufika mbele za Bwana huko Mispa?” Wakagundua kuwa hakuna hata mmoja aliyetoka Yabeshi-Gileadi aliyefika kambini kwa ajili ya kusanyiko la mkutano.
9 For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
Walipohesabu waliona hakuna mtu yeyote wa Yabeshi-Gileadi aliyekuwepo.
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.
Ndipo mkutano wakatuma askari 12,000 na wakawaamuru kwenda Yabeshi-Gileadi na kuwaua wale wote waishio huko, walikuwepo wake na watoto.
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.
Wakasema, “Hilo ndilo mtakalofanya. Ueni kila mtu mume na mke ambaye si bikira.”
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.
Wakakuta kati ya watu walioishi Yabeshi-Gileadi wanawali mia nne ambao hawajakutana kimwili na mwanaume, nao wakawachukua kwenye kambi huko Shilo katika nchi ya Kanaani.
13 And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
Ndipo mkutano ukatuma ujumbe wa amani kwa Wabenyamini huko katika mwamba wa 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.
Basi Wabenyamini wakarudi nyumbani mwao, wakapewa wale wanawali wa Yabeshi-Gileadi waliowaponya. Lakini hawakuwatosha wanaume wote.
15 And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
Waisraeli wakasikitika kwa ajili ya Wabenyamini, kwa kuwa Bwana ameweka ufa katika makabila ya Israeli.
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?
Viongozi wa kusanyiko wakasema, “Kwa kuwa wanawake wa Wabenyamini wameangamizwa, tufanyeje ili kuwapatia wake wale wanaume waliosalia?
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,
Wale waliopona wa Wabenyamini ni lazima tuwape wake, ili wawe na warithi, ili kabila lolote katika Israeli lisifutike.
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.
Hatuwezi kuwapa binti zetu kuwa wake, kwa kuwa sisi Waisraeli tumeapa kiapo hiki: ‘Alaaniwe mtu yeyote ampaye Mbenyamini mke.’”
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.
Ndipo waliposema, “Tazama iko sikukuu ya kila mwaka ya Bwana katika Shilo, kaskazini ya Betheli na mashariki mwa ile barabara itokayo Betheli kwenda Shekemu, upande wa kusini wa Lebona.”
20 And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
Hivyo wakawaelekeza Wabenyamini wakisema, “Nendeni mkajifiche kwenye mashamba ya mizabibu,
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.
nanyi mwangalie. Wasichana wa Shilo watakapojiunga kwenye kucheza, ninyi tokeni kwenye hayo mashamba ya mizabibu na kila mmoja akamate mwanamke mmoja toka miongoni mwa hao wasichana wa Shilo na mwende nao katika nchi 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.
Baba zao au ndugu zao waume watakapotulalamikia, tutawaambia, ‘Kuweni wakarimu kwetu, nanyi mturuhusu tuwe nao kwa kuwa hatukuweza kumpa kila mtu mke tulipopigana. Lakini ninyi pia hamna hatia, kwa kuwa hamkuwapa wao binti zenu kuwa wake.’”
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.
Basi hivyo ndivyo Wabenyamini walivyofanya. Wakati wasichana walipokuwa wakicheza, kila mtu akamkamata msichana mmoja akamchukua akaenda naye ili awe mke wake. Kisha wakarudi katika urithi wao na kuijenga upya miji na kuishi humo.
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.
Wakati huo Waisraeli wakaondoka sehemu ile na kwenda nyumbani kwao, kwenye makabila yao na kwa jamaa zao, kila mmoja kwenye urithi wake mwenyewe.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.
Katika siku hizo kulikuwa hakuna mfalme katika Israeli; kila mtu alifanya kile alichoona ni sawa machoni pake mwenyewe.
