Atiirĩrĩri 21
1 Andũ acio a Isiraeli nĩmehĩtĩte mwĩhĩtwa marĩ kũu Mizipa makoiga atĩrĩ, “Gũtirĩ o na ũmwe witũ ũkaaneana mũirĩtu wake ahikio nĩ Mũbenjamini.”
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to the Benjaminites as wife.
2 Andũ acio nĩmathiire Betheli, kũrĩa maikarire mbere ya Ngai o nginya hwaĩ-inĩ, makĩanĩrĩra na mũgambo makĩrĩra na kĩgirĩko kĩnene.
And the people came to Bethel, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly,
3 Nao makiuga atĩrĩ, “Hĩ! Jehova Ngai wa Isiraeli, nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmĩte ũndũ ũyũ woneke Isiraeli? Nĩ kĩĩ gĩgũtũma mũhĩrĩga ũmwe ũkorwo ũtarĩ ho thĩinĩ wa Isiraeli ũmũthĩ?”
and said, Jehovah, God of Israel, why is it come to pass in Israel, that there should be this day one tribe lacking in Israel?
4 Mũthenya ũyũ ũngĩ rũciinĩ tene andũ magĩaka kĩgongona na makĩruta maruta ma njino o na maruta ma ũiguano.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.
5 Hĩndĩ ĩyo andũ a Isiraeli makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Mĩhĩrĩga-inĩ yothe ya Isiraeli-rĩ, nũũ ũtokĩte kũngana haha mbere ya Jehova?” Nĩgũkorwo nĩmeehĩtĩte mwĩhĩtwa mũrũmu atĩ ũrĩa ũkwaga gũũka kĩũngano mbere ya Jehova kũu Mizipa ti-itherũ nĩagĩrĩire kũũragwo.
And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation to Jehovah? For they had [made] a great oath concerning him that came not up to Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall certainly be put to death.
6 Na rĩrĩ, andũ a Isiraeli magĩcakaya nĩ ũndũ wa ariũ a ithe wao, andũ a Benjamini, na makiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũmũthĩ mũhĩrĩga ũmwe nĩmweherie kuuma Isiraeli.
And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day is one tribe extirpated from Israel.
7 Tũngĩhota atĩa kuonera arĩa matigarĩte atumia, kuona atĩ nĩtwĩhĩtĩte mwĩhĩtwa mbere ya Jehova atĩ tũtikaamahe airĩtu aitũ mamahikie?”
What shall we do for wives for them that remain? since we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters for wives.
8 Magĩcooka makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ mũhĩrĩga ũrĩkũ wa Isiraeli ũtokĩte kĩũngano-inĩ mbere ya Jehova kũu Mizipa?” Nao makĩmenya atĩ gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe kuuma Jabeshi-Gileadi wokĩte kambĩ-inĩ ĩyo nĩ ũndũ wa kĩũngano kĩu.
And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpah to Jehovah? And behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead, to the congregation;
9 Tondũ rĩrĩa maatarire andũ, nĩmamenyire atĩ gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe kuuma Jabeshi-Gileadi warĩ kuo.
for the people were numbered, and behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead there.
10 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio kĩũngano kĩu gĩgĩtũma andũ a kũrũa 12,000 marĩ na mawatho mathiĩ nginya Jabeshi-Gileadi na moorage arĩa maatũũraga kuo na rũhiũ rwa njora, gwata atumia na ciana.
And the assembly sent thither twelve thousand men of the most valiant and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, and the women and the children.
11 Nao makiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũũ nĩguo mũgwĩka, ũragai mũndũ mũrũme o wothe na mũndũ-wa-nja o wothe ũrĩa ũtarĩ gathirange.”
And this is the thing which ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain with man.
12 Nao magĩkora gatagatĩ-inĩ ka andũ arĩa maatũũraga kũu Jabeshi-Gileadi airĩtu magana mana arĩa mataakomete na mũndũ mũrũme, makĩmatwara kambĩ ĩrĩa yarĩ Shilo kũu Kaanani.
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women that were virgins, who had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them to the camp, to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13 Ningĩ kĩũngano gĩothe gĩgĩtũma ihooya rĩa thayũ kũrĩ andũ a Benjamini o hau rwaro-inĩ rwa ihiga rĩa Rimoni.
And the whole assembly sent to speak to the children of Benjamin that were at the cliff of Rimmon, and to proclaim peace to them.
14 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Benjamini makĩhũndũka ihinda o rĩu na makĩheo andũ-a-nja a Jabeshi-Gileadi arĩa matooragĩtwo. No matingĩamaiganire.
And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them the wives whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead; but even so they found not enough for them.
15 Nao andũ magĩcakaĩra andũ a Benjamini, tondũ Jehova nĩatũmire hagĩe na ithenya mĩhĩrĩga-inĩ ya Isiraeli.
And the people repented them for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Nao athuuri arĩa akũrũ a kĩũngano makiuga atĩrĩ, “Tondũ andũ-a-nja a Benjamini nĩaniine-rĩ, tũkuonera arũme arĩa matigaire atumia kũ?”
And the elders of the assembly said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
17 Makiuga atĩrĩ, “Abenjamini arĩa maahonokire no nginya magĩe na a kũmagaya, nĩguo gũtikagĩe mũhĩrĩga o na ũmwe wa Isiraeli ũkũniinũkio.
And they said, There must be a possession for those of Benjamin that have escaped, that a tribe be not blotted out of Israel.
18 Tũtingĩmahe airĩtu aitũ matuĩke atumia ao, nĩgũkorwo ithuĩ andũ a Isiraeli nĩtwehĩtire mwĩhĩtwa ũyũ: ‘Kũrumwo-rĩ, nĩ mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩhe Mũbenjamini mũtumia.’
But we cannot give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to the Benjaminites!
19 No rĩrĩ, nĩkũgĩaga gĩathĩ kĩa Jehova o mwaka kũu Shilo, mwena wa gathigathini wa Betheli, na mwena wa irathĩro wa njĩra ĩrĩa ĩthiiaga kuuma Betheli nginya Shekemu, na mwena wa gũthini wa Lebona.”
And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, toward the sun-rising of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio magĩatha andũ a Benjamini, makĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Thiĩi mwĩhithe kũu mĩgũnda-inĩ ya mĩthabibũ
And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21 na mũikare mũkĩroraga. Rĩrĩa airĩtu a Shilo mariumĩra meturanĩre na arĩa angĩ rwĩmbo-inĩ-rĩ, mũguthũke kuuma mĩgũnda-inĩ ya mĩthabibũ, na o mũndũ ehurĩrie mũtumia kuuma kũrĩ airĩtu acio a Shilo, na mũthiĩ bũrũri wa Benjamini.
and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22 Rĩrĩa maithe mao kana ariũ a maithe mao magaatũrehera thitango, tũkaameera atĩrĩ, ‘Twĩkei wega na kũmateithia, tondũ tũtiamooneire atumia hĩndĩ ya mbaara, no inyuĩ mũtirĩ na mahĩtia, tondũ mũtiamaheire airĩtu anyu.’”
And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain to us, that we will say to them, Gratify us with them, because we did not take each man his wife in the war; for ye did not give them to them, that ye should now be guilty.
23 Ũguo nĩguo andũ a Benjamini meekire. O rĩrĩa airĩtu maainaga-rĩ, o mũndũ akĩnyiita ũmwe, na akĩmũkuua agatuĩke mũtumia wake. Hĩndĩ ĩyo magĩcooka kũrĩ igai rĩao, magĩaka matũũra mao rĩngĩ, na magĩtũũra kuo.
And the children of Benjamin did so, and took wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught; and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.
24 Na ihinda rĩu andũ a Isiraeli makiuma kũndũ kũu, makĩinũka mũciĩ kũrĩ mĩhĩrĩga yao na nyũmba ciao, o mũndũ kũrĩ igai rĩake.
And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.
25 Matukũ-inĩ macio Isiraeli gũtiarĩ na mũthamaki; o mũndũ ekaga ũrĩa oonaga kwagĩrĩire.
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
