Judges 21
1 The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, “None of us will allow our daughters to marry a Benjamite.”
Pea naʻe fuakava ʻae kau tangata ʻIsileli ʻi Misipa, ʻo pehē, “ʻOua naʻa ai ha tokotaha ʻiate kitautolu ʻe ʻatu hono ʻofefine kia Penisimani kenau mali.”
2 The Israelites went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, crying loudly in distress.
Pea naʻe haʻu ʻae kakai ki he fale ʻoe ʻOtua, pea nofo ʻi ai ʻo aʻu ki he efiafi, pea naʻe hiki honau leʻo, ʻo tangi mamahi;
3 “Lord, God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel?” they asked. “Today one of our tribes is missing from Israel.”
Pea naʻa nau pehē, “ʻE Sihova ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli, ko e hā kuo hoko ai ʻae meʻa ni ʻi ʻIsileli, koeʻuhi ke mole ai he ʻaho ni ha faʻahinga ʻi ʻIsileli?”
4 The next day they got up early, built an altar, and brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.
Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē ʻi he pongipongi hake, naʻe tuʻu ai ʻae kakai, pea fokotuʻu ʻi ai ʻae feilaulauʻanga, pea naʻe ʻatu ai ʻae ngaahi feilaulau tutu mo e ngaahi feilaulau fakalelei.
5 “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.
Pea pehē ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, “Ko hai ia ʻi he ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli naʻe ʻikai ʻalu hake mo e fakataha lahi kia Sihova? He naʻa nau fai ʻae fuakava lahi koeʻuhi ko ia naʻe ʻikai ʻalu hake kia Sihova ki Misipa, ʻo pehē, ‘Ko e moʻoni ʻe tāmateʻi ia.’”
6 The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin, saying, “Today one tribe has been hacked off from Israel!
Pea naʻe fakatomala ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli koeʻuhi ko Penisimani ko honau tokoua, ʻonau pehē, “Kuo motuhi ha faʻahinga ʻe taha mei ʻIsileli he ʻaho ni.
7 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?”
Ko e hā te tau fai koeʻuhi ke maʻu honau uaifi ʻekinautolu ʻoku toe, he kuo tau fuakava ʻia Sihova ʻe ʻikai te tau foaki kenau mali mo hotau ngaahi ʻofefine?”
8 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,
Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Ko hai ha tokotaha ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli naʻe ʻikai ʻalu hake ki Misipa kia Sihova?” Pea vakai, naʻe ʻikai haʻu ha tokotaha ki he ʻapitanga mei Sepesi-Kiliati ki he fakataha lahi.
9 for once they had done a head count, there was nobody there from Jabesh-gilead.
He naʻe lau ʻae kakai, pea vakai, naʻe ʻikai ʻi ai ha taha mei he kakai ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati.
10 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.
Pea naʻe fekau ki ai ʻe he fakataha lahi ʻae kau tangata ʻe tokotaha mano naʻe mālohi lahi, pea naʻe fekau pehē kiate kinautolu, “ʻAlu, ʻo taaʻi ʻae kakai ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati ʻaki ʻae mata ʻoe heletā, ʻae kau fefine mo e fānau.”
11 This is what you have to do: Destroy every male and every woman who has had sex with a man.”
Pea ko e meʻa ni ke mou fai, Te mou fakaʻauha ʻaupito ʻae tangata kotoa pē, mo e fefine kotoa pē kuo mohe mo e tangata.
12 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.
Pea naʻa nau ʻilo ʻi he kakai ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati ʻae kau taʻahine tāupoʻou ʻe toko fāngeau, naʻe ʻikai tenau ʻilo ʻae tangata ʻi he mohe mo e tangata: pea naʻa nau ʻomi ʻakinautolu ki he ʻapitanga ki Sailo, ʻaia ʻoku ʻi he fonua ko Kēnani.
13 Then the whole assembly sent a message to the Benjamites at Pomegranate Rock to tell them, “Peace!”
Pea naʻe ʻave ʻae lea mei he fakataha lahi ki he fānau ʻa Penisimani, naʻe [nofo ]ʻi he maka ko Limoni, pea ko e lea fakamelino ia kiate kinautolu.
14 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.
Pea naʻe toe haʻu ʻa Penisimani he kuonga ko ia; pea naʻa nau ʻatu honau ngaahi uaifi ʻaia kuo nau fakamoʻui ʻi he kau fefine ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati: ka naʻe ʻikai tenau totofu.
15 The people felt sorry for the Benjamites because the Lord had made this empty hole among the Israelite tribes.
Pea naʻe fakatomala ʻae kakai ʻia Penisimani, koeʻuhi kuo fai ʻe Sihova ha tautea ʻi he ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli.
16 The elders of the assembly asked, “What shall we do to supply the remaining wives because all the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
Pea naʻe toki pehē ʻe he kau mātuʻa ʻoe fakataha, “Ko e hā ha meʻa te tau fai koeʻuhi ke maʻu uaifi ʻakinautolu ʻoku toe, koeʻuhi kuo ʻauha ʻae kau fefine meia Penisimani?
17 They added, “There have to be heirs for the Benjamite survivors—an Israelite tribe of Israel can't be wiped out.
Pea naʻa nau pehē, Ke ʻai ha tofiʻa moʻonautolu kuo hao ʻia Penisimani, koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa ʻauha ha faʻahinga ʻe taha ʻi ʻIsileli.
18 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!’”
Ka ʻoku moʻoni ʻoku ʻikai ngofua ke tau ʻatu honau uaifi ʻi hotau ngaahi ʻofefine: he kuo fuakava ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻo pehē, Ke malaʻia ia ʻaia ʻoku ne foaki ha uaifi kia Penisimani.”
19 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.”
Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Vakai, ʻoku ai ʻae kātoanga maʻa Sihova ʻoku fai ʻi he taʻu kotoa pē ʻi Sailo,” ʻi he potu fakatokelau ʻo Peteli, ʻi he potu hahake ʻi he hala lahi ʻoku ʻalu hake mei Peteli ki Sikemi, pea ʻi he potu tonga ʻo Lepona.
20 So they ordered the Benjamites, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
Ko ia naʻa nau fekau ai ki he fānau ʻa Penisimani, ʻo pehē, “ʻAlu ʻo toitoi, tatali ʻi he ngaahi ngoue vaine;
21 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.
Pea sio, pea vakai, kapau ʻoku haʻu ʻae ngaahi ʻofefine ʻo Sailo ke meʻe ʻi he ngaahi meʻe, mou haʻu ai mei he ngaahi ngoue vaine, ʻo puke ke taki taha homou uaifi ʻi he ngaahi ʻofefine ʻo Sailo, pea mou ʻalu ki he fonua ʻo Penisimani.
22 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.”
‘Pea ka haʻu ʻenau ngaahi tamai, pe ko honau ngaahi tuongaʻane ke ʻeke ia kiate kimautolu, te mau pehē kiate kinautolu, Mou fai ʻofa kiate kinautolu koeʻuhi ko kimautolu: koeʻuhi naʻe ʻikai te mau fakatoe kiate kinautolu taki taha hono uaifi ʻi he tau: pea naʻe ʻikai te mou foaki ʻakinautolu ʻi he kuonga ni, ke mou halaia ai.’”
23 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.
Pea naʻe fai pehē ʻe he fānau ʻa Penisimani, ʻo fili honau uaifi ʻo fakatatau ki honau lau, meiate kinautolu naʻe meʻe, ʻakinautolu naʻa nau puke: pea naʻa nau ʻalu ʻo toe hoko ki honau tofiʻa, ʻo toe teuteu ʻenau ngaahi kolo, pea nofo ki ai.
24 Then the Israelites left and went home to their tribes and families, each one going to the land they owned.
Pea naʻe ʻalu mei ai ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi he kuonga ko ia, ʻae tangata taki taha ki hono faʻahinga pea ki hono kāinga, pea naʻe ʻalu mei ai ʻae tangata taki taha ki hono tofiʻa.
25 At that time Israel didn't have a king—everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.
ʻI he ngaahi ʻaho ko ia naʻe ʻikai ha tuʻi ʻi ʻIsileli: ka naʻe fai ʻe he tangata kotoa pē ʻaia naʻe lelei ʻi hono mata ʻoʻona.
