Ndị Ikpe 21
1 Mgbe ndị ikom Izrel niile zukọtara na Mizpa, ha ṅụrụ iyi sị, “O nweghị onye ọbụla nʼime anyị ga-ekwe ka nwoke ọbụla si nʼebo Benjamin lụọ ụmụ anyị ndị inyom.”
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!”
2 Ndị Izrel niile gara Betel, nọdụ ebe ahụ ruo mgbede nʼihu Chineke. Ha welitere olu bee akwa dara ụda.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 “Ha sịrị, Onyenwe anyị, Chineke Izrel, gịnị mere ihe dị otu a ji dakwasị Izrel? Gịnị mere a ga-eji na-achọ otu ebo Izrel achọ taa?”
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]
4 Nʼisi ụtụtụ echi ya, ha biliri ngwangwa rụọ ebe ịchụ aja. Ha chụrụ aja nsure ọkụ, na aja udo nʼebe ahụ.
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.
5 Emesịa, ha jụrịtara onwe ha ajụjụ sị, “O nwere ebo Izrel na-enweghị onye nọchiri anya ha nʼihu Onyenwe anyị anyị mgbe anyị zukọrọ na Mizpa?” Nʼihi na ha ṅụrụ iyi kwuo na onye ọbụla jụrụ ịbịa nʼihu Onyenwe anyị na Mizpa aghaghị ịnwụ.
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?”
6 Ma oke iru ụjụ dị nʼala Izrel dum nʼihi ihe dakwasịrị ụmụnna ha, bụ ndị Benjamin. Ha niile kwuru sị, “Taa, otu ebo Izrel alaala nʼiyi, e kpochapụla ya.
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).
7 Olee otu anyị ga-esi nwetara ndị fọdụrụ nwunye ha ga-alụ ebe anyị ṅụrụ iyi site nʼaha Onyenwe anyị na anyị agaghị enye ha ụmụ anyị ndị inyom?”
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?”
8 Mgbe ahụ, ha jụrụ ajụjụ sị, “O nwere ebo Izrel na-esoghị anyị zukọta mgbe anyị zukọtara nʼihu Onyenwe anyị na Mizpa?” Ha chọpụtara na o nweghị onye ọbụla si na Jebesh Gilead bịa.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Nʼihi na mgbe ha gụrụ ndị zukọrọ ọnụ, ha chọpụtara na o nweghị ndị si Jebesh Gilead bịa.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Ya mere, nzukọ ahụ zipụrụ puku ndị agha iri na abụọ, ndị dị ike nʼetiti ha, ka ha gaa jiri mma agha gbuchapụ mmadụ niile bi na Jebesh Gilead, ndị nwoke, na ndị nwanyị, na ụmụntakịrị.
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.
11 Nke a bụkwa ihe unu ga-eme, “Gbuonụ ndị ikom niile na ụmụ nwanyị niile matarala nwoke.”
[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].”
12 Ọnụọgụgụ ụmụ agbọghọ na-amabeghị nwoke ha chọtara na Jebesh Gilead dị narị anọ. Ndị agha ahụ kpọtara ha na Shaịlo, nʼime Kenan, ebe ndị Izrel mara ụlọ ikwu ha.
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].
13 Emesịa, ha zigara ụfọdụ mmadụ ka ha jekwuru ndị agha Benjamin na nkume Rimọn maka ime udo.
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.
14 Mgbe ndị Benjamin lọghachiri, e dunyere ha narị ndị inyom anọ, ndị Jebesh Gilead, bụ ndị e mere ka ha dị ndụ. Ma ụmụ agbọghọ ndị a ezughị ọnụọgụgụ ha niile.
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].
15 Oge ahụ bụ nnọọ oge iru ụjụ dị ukwuu nʼala Izrel maka ọnọdụ ndị Benjamin, nʼihi na Onyenwe anyị emeela ka ebo ndị Izrel hapụ izu ezu.
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.
16 Ndị okenye Izrel jụrịtara onwe ha sị, “Gịnị ka anyị ga-eme ịlụtara ụmụnna anyị nwunye ebe ọ bụ na ụmụ agbọghọ ndị Benjamin anwụchaala?
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?
17 Ndị Benjamin fọdụrụ ndụ aghaghị inweta ndị ga-anọchi anya ha,” bụ ihe ha kwuru, “ka otu nʼime ebo Izrel ghara ịbụ ndị e kpochapụrụ ekpochapụ.
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.
18 Ma anyị enweghị ike inye ha ndị nwunye site nʼụmụ anyị ndị inyom, nʼihi na ụmụ Izrel ṅụrụ iyi sị, ‘Onye abụrụ ọnụ ka ọ bụ, bụ onye ọbụla nke nyere onye Benjamin nwunye.’
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.”
19 Ma lee, e nwere mmemme Onyenwe anyị a na-eme afọ niile na Shaịlo, nʼakụkụ ugwu Betel, na mpaghara ọwụwa anyanwụ nke ụzọ ahụ sitere Betel gaa Shekem, na nʼakụkụ ndịda Lebona.”
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].”
20 Ya mere, ha gwara ndị ikom Benjamin, bụ ndị chọrọ nwunye okwu sị ha, “Gaanụ zoo onwe unu nʼubi vaịnị dị nʼagbata ụzọ ahụ,
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.
21 ma na-elepụ anya. Mgbe ụmụ agbọghọ Shaịlo ga-apụta ite egwu ha, sitenụ nʼubi vaịnị gbapụtanụ jide ha, ka onye ọbụla nʼime unu jide otu nwaagbọghọ kpụrụ ya laa nʼala Benjamin, ka ha bụrụ nwunye unu.
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].
22 Ọ bụrụ na nna ha maọbụ ụmụnne ha abịakwute anyị ịjụ ajụjụ banyere ha, anyị ga-agwa ha okwu sị, ‘Biko, gosinụ anyị amara, site nʼịhapụ ha ka ha lụọ ụmụ agbọghọ ahụ, nʼihi na anyị achọtaghị ụmụ agbọghọ ga-ezuru ha niile mgbe anyị gburu ndị niile bi na Jebesh Gilead. O nwekwaghị ụzọ ọzọ unu gaara esi nye ha ụmụ unu ndị nwanyị ghara ịbụ ndị ikpe mara.’”
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].’”
23 Ya mere, ndị Benjamin mere dịka ndụmọdụ e nyere ha si dị. Onye ọbụla nʼime ha jidere otu nwaagbọghọ nʼike mgbe ha na-ete egwu nʼoge mmemme ahụ ka ọ bụrụ nwunye ya. Ha lara nʼihe nketa ha, wughachi obodo ha, biri nʼime ya.
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.
24 Mgbe ihe ndị a gasịrị, ụmụ Izrel laghachiri nʼobodo ha, nʼotu nʼotu, onye ọbụla kwa laghachiri nʼebo ya, nʼikwu ya, nʼihe nketa nke aka ya.
The other Israelis went to their homes in the areas where their tribes and clans lived, the areas that God had allotted to them.
25 Nʼụbọchị ndị a, Izrel enweghị eze na-achị ha. Nʼihi nke a, onye ọbụla na-eme ihe ọbụla ọ chọrọ, na ihe ọbụla dị ya mma nʼanya.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
