Judges 21
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, "There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin as wife."
Amadoda akoIsrayeli ayefungile-ke eMizipa esithi: Kakukho lamunye wethu ozanika indodakazi yakhe kuBhenjamini ibe ngumkakhe.
2 The people came to Bethel, and sat there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept severely.
Abantu basebesiza eBhetheli, bahlala lapho phambi kukaNkulunkulu kwaze kwahlwa, baphakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi ngokukhala okukhulu.
3 They said, "Jehovah God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?"
Basebesithi: Kungani, O Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, kwenzeke lokhu koIsrayeli ukuthi kusilele lamuhla isizwe esisodwa koIsrayeli?
4 It happened on the next day that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
Kwasekusithi kusisa abantu bavuka ngovivi, bakha ilathi lapho, banikela iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula.
5 The children of Israel said, "Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up in the assembly to Jehovah?" For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who did not come up to Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, "He shall surely be 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 The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, "There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebezisola ngenxa kaBhenjamini umfowabo, bathi: Kuqunyiwe lamuhla isizwe esisodwa sisuke koIsrayeli.
7 How shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?"
Sizabenzelani abaseleyo ngabafazi, ngoba thina sifungile ngeNkosi ukuthi kasiyikubanika emadodakazini ethu abe ngomkabo?
8 They said, "What one is there of the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Jehovah to Mizpah?" Look, no one came 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 For when the people were numbered, look, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.
Ngoba abantu babebaliwe, khangela-ke, kwakungekho muntu kubahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi lapho.
10 The congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.
Ngakho inhlangano yathuma khona amadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili awamaqhawe amakhulu, bawalaya bathi: Hambani liyetshaya abahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi ngobukhali benkemba, labesifazana labantwanyana.
11 This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has slept with a man, but the virgins you are to keep alive." And they did so.
Yile into elizayenza: Lizatshabalalisa wonke owesilisa laye wonke owesifazana owazi ukulala lowesilisa.
12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a man; and they brought them to the camp to 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 The whole congregation sent and spoke to the people of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
Inhlangano yonke yasithumela yakhuluma labantwana bakoBhenjamini ababesedwaleni leRimoni; bamemezela ukuthula kibo.
14 Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead: and yet so they weren't enough for them.
UBhenjamini wasebuya ngalesosikhathi, babanika abesifazana ababebagcine bephila kwabesifazana beJabeshi-Gileyadi, kodwa ngokunjalo kababanelanga.
15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a gap in the tribes of Israel.
Abantu basebezisola ngenxa kaBhenjamini ngoba iNkosi yayenze ukwehlukana ezizweni zakoIsrayeli.
16 Then the elders of the congregation said, "How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?"
Abadala benhlangano basebesithi: Sizabenzelani abaseleyo ngabafazi, ngoba abesifazana bachithiwe koBhenjamini?
17 They said, "How will an inheritance remain for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
Basebesithi: Kumele kube lelifa labaphunyukileyo bakoBhenjamini, ukuze isizwe singatshabalaliswa koIsrayeli.
18 However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, 'Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.'"
Kodwa thina kasilakho ukubanika abafazi emadodakazini ethu, ngoba abantwana bakoIsrayeli bafungile besithi: Kaqalekiswe lowo onika uBhenjamini umfazi.
19 They said, "Look, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel 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 They commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
Ngakho balaya abantwana bakoBhenjamini besithi: Hambani liyecathama ezivinini,
21 and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go 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 It shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, 'Grant them graciously to us, because we didn't take wives for each man in battle, neither did you give them to them, otherwise you would now be 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 The people of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them.
Ngakho abantwana bakoBhenjamini benza njalo, bathumba abafazi ngokwenani labo kwabagidayo ababahlwithayo; bahamba babuyela elifeni labo, bakha imizi, bahlala kiyo.
24 The children of Israel departed there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man 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 was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Ngalezonsuku kwakungelankosi koIsrayeli. Wonke umuntu wayesenza okwakulungile emehlweni akhe.
