Judges 21
1 When the Israeli men gathered at Mizpah [before the battle started], they vowed, “None of us will ever allow one of our daughters to marry any man from the tribe of Benjamin!”
Israelfo aka ntam wɔ Mispa sɛ, wɔremfa wɔn mmabea mma ɔbarima biara a ofi Benyamin abusuakuw mu aware.
2 But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
Nnipa no kɔɔ Bet-El kɔtenaa Onyankopɔn anim kosii anwummere, maa wɔn nne so, suu denneennen kae se,
3 They kept saying, “Yahweh, God of us Israeli people, [it is as though] one of the tribes of us Israelis does not exist any more! (Why has this happened to us?/It is terrible that this has happened to us!)” [RHQ]
“Ao Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, adɛn nti na saa asɛm yi asi? Mprempren yɛn mmusuakuw no mu baako ayera!”
4 Early the next morning the people built an altar. Then they completely burned some sacrifices [on the altar], and also offered other sacrifices to maintain fellowship with God.
Adekyee mu no, nnipa no sii afɔremuka, na wɔbɔɔ ɔhyew ne asomdwoe afɔre.
5 Then, because they had vowed that anyone who did not meet with them at Mizpah [to help fight the men of the tribe of Benjamin] would be killed, they asked among themselves, “Were there any of the tribes of Israel who did not come to Mizpah to meet with us in the presence of Yahweh?”
Wobisae se, “Abusuakuw bi wɔ hɔ a wannya ɔnanmusini bere a yɛkɔɔ nhyiamu kɛse wɔ Awurade anim wɔ Mispa no ana?” Saa bere no, na wɔaka ntankɛse wɔ Awurade anim sɛ, obiara a wamma no, ɛsɛ sɛ owu.
6 The Israelis felt sorry for their fellow Israelis from the tribe of Benjamin. They said, “Today one of our Israeli tribes (has disappeared/no longer exists).
Na Israelfo no dii yaw wɔ Benyaminfo no ho kae se, “Nnɛ yi, abusuakuw baako afi yɛn mu; na nʼase reyɛ atɔre.
7 Yahweh heard us solemnly declare that we would not allow any of our daughters to marry any man from the tribe of Benjamin. What can we do to make certain that the men of the tribe of Benjamin who were not killed will have wives?”
Na ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na yɛanya yerenom ama wɔn a wɔaka no, esiane Awurade ntam a yɛaka sɛ yɛremfa yɛn mmabea mu biara mma wɔn aware nti?”
8 Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
Enti wobisae se, “Bere a yɛde yɛn ho kyerɛɛ Awurade wɔ Mispa no na obi nni hɔ bi ana?” Ɛhɔ na wohui sɛ, obiara amfi Yabes Gilead amma saa aguabɔ no ase bi.
9 [They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
Na wɔkan nnipa no nyinaa no, wɔannya obiara a ofi Yabes Gilead.
10 So all the Israelis decided to send 12,000 very good soldiers to Jabesh-Gilead to kill the people there with their swords, even to kill the married women and children.
Enti wɔsomaa akofo mpem dumien kɔɔ Yabes Gilead sɛ wonkokunkum obiara a ɔwɔ hɔ a mmea ne mmofra ka ho.
11 [They told this to those men]: “This is what you must do: You must kill every man in Jabesh-Gilead. You must also kill every married woman. [But do not kill the unmarried women].”
Wɔkae se, “Eyi na ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ. Munkum ɔbarima ne ɔbea biara a ɔnyɛ ɔbabun.”
12 So those soldiers [went to Jabesh-Gilead and killed all the men, married women, and children. But they] found 400 unmarried young women there. So they brought them to their camp at Shiloh, in Canaan, [across the river from the Gilead area that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin].
Yabes Gileadfo mu no, wohuu mmabun ahannan a wɔne mmarima nnaa da, na wɔde wɔn baa nsraban a ɛwɔ Silo wɔ Kanaan asase so hɔ.
13 Then all the Israelis [who had gathered] sent a message to the 600 men who were at Rimmon Rock. They said that they would like to make peace with them.
Na Israelfo bagua no somaa asomdwoe abɔfo ma wɔkɔɔ Benyaminfo nkae no a na wɔte Rimon botan ho no nkyɛn.
14 So the men came back from Rimmon Rock. The Israelis gave to them the women from Jabesh-Gilead whom they had not killed. But there were [only 400 women. But there were] not enough women [for those 600 men].
Na Benyaminfo no san kɔɔ wɔn afi mu, na wɔde mmabun a wofi Yabes Gilead a wɔankum bi no maa wɔn aware. Nanso mmea no anso wɔn so.
15 The Israelis [still] felt sorry for the men of the tribe of Benjamin, because Yahweh had (decimated/almost wiped out) one of the Israeli tribes.
Nnipa no dii Benyaminfo no ho yaw, sɛ Awurade ama mpaapaemu aba Israel mmusuakuw no mu.
16 The Israeli leaders said, “We have killed all the married women of the tribe of Benjamin. Where can we get women to be wives of the men who are still alive?
Enti Israel ntuanofo no bisae se, “Sɛ wɔatɔre mmea a wofi Benyamin ase yi, ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na yɛanya yerenom ama mmarima a wɔaka no?
17 These men must have wives to give birth to children, in order that their families will continue. If that does not happen, all the people of one of the tribes of Israel will die.
Ɛsɛ sɛ Benyaminfo a wɔaka no nya adedifo sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a Israel abusuakuw bi ase ntɔre.
18 But we cannot allow our daughters to marry these men, because we vowed that Yahweh will curse anyone who gives one of his daughters to become a wife of any man of the tribe of Benjamin.”
Nanso yɛrentumi mfa yɛn mmabea mma wɔn aware, efisɛ yɛaka ntankɛse sɛ, obiara a ɔde ne babea bɛma Benyaminni aware no, Awurade nnome mmra ne so.”
19 Then [one of] them (had an idea/thought of something that they could do). He said, “Every year there is a festival to honor Yahweh at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel and east of the road that extends from Bethel to Shechem, and it is south of Lebonah [city].”
Afei wɔdwenee Awurade afeafe afahyɛ no ho, nea wodi wɔ Silo, a ɛwɔ Lebona ne Bet-El ntam, wɔ ɔkwan a efi Bet-El kosi Sekem no apuei fam.
20 So the Israeli leaders told the men of the tribe of Benjamin, “[When it is the time for that festival], go to Shiloh and hide in the vineyards.
Na wɔka kyerɛɛ Benyamin mmarima a wɔda so hwehwɛ yerenom no se, “Monkɔtɛw wɔ bobe nturo no mu.
21 Keep watching for the young women to come out of the city to dance. [When they come out], all of you should run out of the vineyards. Each of you can seize one of the young women of Shiloh. Then you can all return to your homes [with those women].
Sɛ mmea a wofi Silo no ba bɛsaw wɔn asaw no a, mumpue mfi bobe nturo no mu, na mo mu biara betumi afa wɔn mu baako de no akɔ fie sɛ ne yere.
22 If their fathers or brothers come to us and complain [about what you have done], we will say to them, ‘Be kind to the men of the tribe of Benjamin. When we fought them, we did not leave any women alive to become their wives, and you did not give those young women to the men from the tribe of Benjamin. [They stole them]. So you will not be guilty, [even though you said that you would not allow any of your daughters to marry one of them].’”
Na sɛ wɔn agyanom ne wɔn nuanom mmarima ba sɛ wɔmpene so a, yɛbɛka akyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Yɛsrɛ mo, monte ase. Momma wɔmfa mo mmabea no, efisɛ bere a yekunkum Yabes Gileadfo no, yɛannyaw mmea a ɛbɛso wɔn nyinaa so amma wɔn. Munnni ntam no ho fɔ, efisɛ ɛnyɛ mo na mode mo mmabea maa wɔn aware.’”
23 So that is what the men of the tribe of Benjamin did. [They went to Shiloh at the time of the festival]. And when the young women were dancing, each man caught one of them and took her away and married her. Then they took their wives back to the land that God had given to them. They rebuilt their cities [that had been burned down], and they lived there.
Enti Benyamin mmarima no yɛɛ sɛnea wɔkyerɛɛ wɔn no. Wowiawiaa mmea a wɔbaa afahyɛ no ase, de wɔn kɔɔ asase a ɛyɛ wɔn agyapade no so. Na wɔkyekyeree wɔn nkurow no bio tenaa mu.
24 The other Israelis went to their homes in the areas where their tribes and clans lived, the areas that God had allotted to them.
Na Israelfo mmusuakuw ne mmusua no fii hɔ san kɔɔ wɔn ankasa afi mu.
25 At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
Saa bere no na Israel nni ɔhene, nti na nea nnipa no gye di sɛ eye wɔ wɔn ani so no na wɔyɛ.
