Judges 21
1 And the men of Israel have sworn in Mizpeh, saying, “None of us gives his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.”
Amadoda akoIsrayeli ayefungile-ke eMizipa esithi: Kakukho lamunye wethu ozanika indodakazi yakhe kuBhenjamini ibe ngumkakhe.
2 And the people come to Beth-El, and sit there until the evening before God, and lift up their voice, and weep [with] a great weeping,
Abantu basebesiza eBhetheli, bahlala lapho phambi kukaNkulunkulu kwaze kwahlwa, baphakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi ngokukhala okukhulu.
3 and say, “Why, O YHWH, God of Israel, has this been in Israel—to be lacking one tribe from Israel today?”
Basebesithi: Kungani, O Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, kwenzeke lokhu koIsrayeli ukuthi kusilele lamuhla isizwe esisodwa koIsrayeli?
4 And it comes to pass on the next day, that the people rise early, and build an altar there, and cause burnt-offerings and peace-offerings to ascend.
Kwasekusithi kusisa abantu bavuka ngovivi, bakha ilathi lapho, banikela iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula.
5 And the sons of Israel say, “Who [is] he that has not come up in the assembly to YHWH out of all the tribes of Israel?” For the great oath has been concerning him who has not come up to YHWH to Mizpeh, saying, “He is surely put to death.”
Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesithi: Ngubani ezizweni zonke zakoIsrayeli ongenyukelanga ebandleni eNkosini? Ngoba kwenziwa isifungo esikhulu ngalowo ongenyukelanga eNkosini eMizipa kuthiwa: Uzabulawa lokubulawa.
6 And the sons of Israel sigh concerning their brother Benjamin, and say, “Today there has been one tribe cut off from Israel,
Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebezisola ngenxa kaBhenjamini umfowabo, bathi: Kuqunyiwe lamuhla isizwe esisodwa sisuke koIsrayeli.
7 what do we do for them—for those who are left—for wives, since we have sworn by YHWH not to give to them from our daughters for wives?”
Sizabenzelani abaseleyo ngabafazi, ngoba thina sifungile ngeNkosi ukuthi kasiyikubanika emadodakazini ethu abe ngomkabo?
8 And they say, “Who is [that] one out of the tribes of Israel who has not come up to YHWH to Mizpeh?” And behold, none has come to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead—to the assembly.
Basebesithi: Yisiphi ezizweni zakoIsrayeli esingenyukelanga eNkosini eMizipa? Khangela-ke kakuzanga loyedwa enkambeni ovela eJabeshi-Gileyadi ukuya ebandleni.
9 And the people numbered themselves, and behold, there is no man from the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.
Ngoba abantu babebaliwe, khangela-ke, kwakungekho muntu kubahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi lapho.
10 And the congregation sends twelve thousand men of the sons of valor there, and commands them, saying, “Go—and you have struck the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead by the mouth of the sword, even the women and the infants.
Ngakho inhlangano yathuma khona amadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili awamaqhawe amakhulu, bawalaya bathi: Hambani liyetshaya abahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi ngobukhali benkemba, labesifazana labantwanyana.
11 And this [is] the thing which you do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, you devote.”
Yile into elizayenza: Lizatshabalalisa wonke owesilisa laye wonke owesifazana owazi ukulala lowesilisa.
12 And they find four hundred young women, virgins, out of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, who have not known man by the lying of a male, and they bring them to the camp at Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan.
Basebethola phakathi kwabahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi amankazana angamakhulu amane izintombi ezimsulwa ezingayazanga indoda ngokulala lowesilisa; basebewaletha enkambeni eShilo, eselizweni leKhanani.
13 And all the congregation sends [word] and speaks to the sons of Benjamin who [are] in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaims peace to them;
Inhlangano yonke yasithumela yakhuluma labantwana bakoBhenjamini ababesedwaleni leRimoni; bamemezela ukuthula kibo.
14 and Benjamin turns back at that time, and they give to them the women whom they have kept alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead, and they have not found for [all of] them so.
UBhenjamini wasebuya ngalesosikhathi, babanika abesifazana ababebagcine bephila kwabesifazana beJabeshi-Gileyadi, kodwa ngokunjalo kababanelanga.
15 And the people sighed concerning Benjamin, for YHWH had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.
Abantu basebezisola ngenxa kaBhenjamini ngoba iNkosi yayenze ukwehlukana ezizweni zakoIsrayeli.
16 And [the] elderly of the congregation say, “What do we do to the remnant for wives—for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?”
Abadala benhlangano basebesithi: Sizabenzelani abaseleyo ngabafazi, ngoba abesifazana bachithiwe koBhenjamini?
17 And they say, “A possession of an escaped party [is] to Benjamin, and a tribe is not blotted out from Israel;
Basebesithi: Kumele kube lelifa labaphunyukileyo bakoBhenjamini, ukuze isizwe singatshabalaliswa koIsrayeli.
18 and we are not able to give wives to them out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [is] he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.”
Kodwa thina kasilakho ukubanika abafazi emadodakazini ethu, ngoba abantwana bakoIsrayeli bafungile besithi: Kaqalekiswe lowo onika uBhenjamini umfazi.
19 And they say, “Behold, a festival of YHWH [is] in Shiloh, from time to time, which [is] on the north of Beth-El, at the rising of the sun, by the highway which is going up from Beth-El to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”
Basebesithi: Khangelani, kulomkhosi weNkosi eShilo iminyaka ngeminyaka engenyakatho kweBhetheli, lapho okuphuma khona ilanga komgwaqo omkhulu owenyuka usuka eBhetheli kusiya eShekema, langeningizimu kweLebona.
20 And they command the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go—and you have laid wait in the vineyards,
Ngakho balaya abantwana bakoBhenjamini besithi: Hambani liyecathama ezivinini,
21 and have seen, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances—then you have gone out from the vineyards, and each caught his wife out of the daughters of Shiloh for yourselves, and have gone to the land of Benjamin;
libone, njalo khangelani, nxa amadodakazi eShilo esephuma ukugida imigido, khona lizaphuma ezivinini lizibambele ngulowo lalowo umfazi wakhe emadodakazini eShilo, liye elizweni lakoBhenjamini.
22 and it has been, when their fathers or their brothers come in to plead to us, that we have said to them, Favor us [by] them, for we have not each taken his wife in battle, for you have not given [wives] to them at this time, [so] you are [not] guilty.”
Kuzakuthi nxa oyise loba abanewabo befika besola kithi, sizakuthi kibo: Senzeleni umusa ngenxa yabo, ngoba kasibathathelanga ngulowo lalowo umfazi wakhe empini, ngoba lina kalibanikanga wona ngalesisikhathi ukuthi licaleke.
23 And the sons of Benjamin do so, and take women according to their number, out of the dancers whom they have seized; and they go, and return to their inheritance, and build the cities, and dwell in them.
Ngakho abantwana bakoBhenjamini benza njalo, bathumba abafazi ngokwenani labo kwabagidayo ababahlwithayo; bahamba babuyela elifeni labo, bakha imizi, bahlala kiyo.
24 And the sons of Israel go up and down there at that time, each to his tribe, and to his family; and they each go out there to his inheritance.
Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebechitheka besuka lapho ngalesosikhathi, ngulowo lalowo waya esizweni sakhe lakusendo lwakhe; basebephuma besuka lapho, ngulowo lalowo waya elifeni lakhe.
25 In those days there is no king in Israel; each does that which is right in his own eyes.
Ngalezonsuku kwakungelankosi koIsrayeli. Wonke umuntu wayesenza okwakulungile emehlweni akhe.
