Kaiwhakariterite 21
1 Na kua puaki noa ake to oati a nga tangata o Iharaira i Mihipa, i mea ratou, Kaua tetahi tangata o tatou e hoatu i tana tamahine hei wahine ma Pineamine.
The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, “None of us will allow our daughters to marry a Benjamite.”
2 Na ka haere te iwi ki Peteere, a noho ana i reira i te aroaro o te Atua a ahiahi noa; na rahi noa atu o ratou reo, he nui te tangi.
The Israelites went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, crying loudly in distress.
3 I mea hoki ratou, Na te aha, e Ihowa, e te Atua o Iharaira, i puta ake ai tenei i roto i a Iharaira; i ngaro ai tetahi iwi i tenei ra i roto i a Iharaira?
“Lord, God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel?” they asked. “Today one of our tribes is missing from Israel.”
4 Na i te ata ka maranga wawe te iwi, a hanga ana he aata e ratou, a whakaekea ana he tahunga tinana, he whakahere mo te pai.
The next day they got up early, built an altar, and brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.
5 Na ka mea nga tama a Iharaira, Ko wai o nga iwi katoa o Iharaira kahore i tae mai i roto i te whakaminenga ki a Ihowa? Kua takoto hoki he oati nui mo te tangata e kore e haere ki a Ihowa ki Mihipa: i mea ratou, Ka whakamatea rawatia.
“Which of all the tribes of Israel didn't attend the assembly we held before the Lord?” they asked. For they had sworn a sacred oath that anyone who did not come before the Lord at Mizpah would without exception be executed.
6 A koingo tonu nga tama a Iharaira ki to ratou teina, ki a Pineamine; i mea, Kua hautopea atu tetahi iwi i tenei ra i roto i a Iharaira.
The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin, saying, “Today one tribe has been hacked off from Israel!
7 Me aha tatou ki etahi wahine ma nga mea o ratou i mahue; kua oatitia hoki a Ihowa e tatau e kore a tatou tamahine e hoatu hei wahine ma ratou?
What shall we do about wives for those who are left, since we have sworn an oath before the Lord that we will not allow any of our daughters to marry them?”
8 Na ka mea ano ratou, Ko tehea o nga iwi o Iharaira kahore nei i tae mai ki a Ihowa ki Mihipa? Na kahore tetahi tangata o Iapehe Kireara i haere ki te puni ki te whakaminenga.
Then they asked, “Which one of all the tribes of Israel didn't attend the assembly we held before the Lord at Mizpah?” They found out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly,
9 I taua hoki te iwi, a kahore tetahi tangata i reira o nga tangata o Iapehe Kireara.
for once they had done a head count, there was nobody there from Jabesh-gilead.
10 Na ka tono te huihui i etahi tangata ki reira, kotahi tekau ma rua mano, he hunga toa, a ka whakahau i a ratou, ka mea, Tikina patua nga tangata o Iapehe Kireara ki te mata o te hoari, me nga wahine me nga tamariki.
So the assembly sent twelve thousand of their best warriors there. They gave them orders, saying, “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with your swords, even the women and children.
11 A ko tenei ta koutou e mea ai, Ko nga tane katoa, me nga wahine katoa i takoto ki te tane, me huna.
This is what you have to do: Destroy every male and every woman who has had sex with a man.”
12 A e wha rau nga kotiro i mau i a ratou i roto i nga tangata o Iapehe Kireara, he wahine kahore ano i mohio noa, ara i takoto ki te tane: na kawea ana e ratou ki te puni ki Hiro, ki tera i te whenua o Kanaana.
They managed to find among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred virgins who had not had sex with a man. They took them to the camp in Shiloh, in the land of Canaan.
13 Katahi ka unga tangata te huihui katoa hei korero ki nga tama a Pineamine i te kamaka i Rimono, hei karanga ki a ratou, Kua mau te rongo.
Then the whole assembly sent a message to the Benjamites at Pomegranate Rock to tell them, “Peace!”
14 Na ka hoki a Pineamine i taua wa; a ka hoatu ki a ratou nga wahine i whakaorangia e ratou i roto i nga wahine o Iapehe Kireara; otiia kihai ano i rato.
So the men of Benjamin went back home, and gave to them the four hundred women from Jabesh-gilead who had been spared as wives. However, there wasn't enough for all of them.
15 Na koingo tonu te iwi ki a Pineamine, no te mea kua wahia e Ihowa nga iwi o Iharaira.
The people felt sorry for the Benjamites because the Lord had made this empty hole among the Israelite tribes.
16 Na ka mea nga kaumatua o te huihui, Me aha tatou ki etahi wahine ma nga mea i mahue, kua huna nei hoki nga wahine a Pineamine?
The elders of the assembly asked, “What shall we do to supply the remaining wives because all the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
17 I mea ano ratou, Kia whai kainga tupu nga morehu o Pineamine, kei moti rawa tetahi iwi i roto i a Iharaira.
They added, “There have to be heirs for the Benjamite survivors—an Israelite tribe of Israel can't be wiped out.
18 Otiia e kore e taea te hoatu e tatou a tatou tamahine hei wahine ma ratou; no te mea kua oati nga tama a Iharaira, kua mea, Kia kanga te tangata e hoatu ana i te wahine ki a Pineamine.
But we can't let them have our daughters as wives, since we as the people of Israel swore a sacred oath, saying, ‘Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite is cursed!’”
19 Na ka mea ratou, Nana, he hakari tera ki a Ihowa i Hiro, i tenei tau, i tenei tau, i te taha ki te raki o Peteere, i te taha ki te rawhiti o te huarahi e tika atu ana i Peteere ki Hekeme, i te tonga o Repona.
Then they said, “Look! Every year there's the Lord's festival in Shiloh. It's held north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, south of Lebonah.”
20 Na ka whakahau atu ratou ki nga tama a Pineamine, ka mea, Haere ki nga mara waina whanga ai;
So they ordered the Benjamites, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
21 A e kite koutou, na, kua puta nga tamahine o Hiro ki te kanikani, na ka haere atu koutou i nga mara waina, ka hopu i tana wahine, i tana wahine, i roto i nga tamahine o Hiro, a ka haere ki te whenua o Pineamine.
Keep a lookout, and when you see the young women from Shiloh come out to perform their dances, run out from the vineyards, and each of you abduct a wife for yourself and go back home to the land of Benjamin.
22 A ka tae mai o ratou matua, o ratou tungane ranei, ki a matou whakawa ai, ko reira matou mea ai ki a ratou, Kia atawhai ki a matou, ara ki a ratou: kihai hoki i riro i a matou he wahine ma tenei, ma tenei, o ratou i te mea e whawhai ana: ehara a no i te mea na koutou i hoatu i tenei wa, e he ai koutou.
If their fathers or brothers come complaining to us, we'll tell them, ‘Please do us a favor, because we couldn't find enough wives for them in the war. And it's not as if you're guilty of breaking the oath since you didn't give them in marriage.”
23 Na pera ana nga tama a Pineamine, a tangohia ana e ratou etahi wahine i roto i te hunga i kanikani ra; rite tonu ki a ratou te tokomaha, he mea hopu na ratou: a haere ana, noho ana ki to ratou kainga tupu; kei te hanga i o ratou pa, nohoia iho e ratou.
The Benjaminites did as they were ordered. Each man grabbed one of the women dancers up to the total needed and carried her off to be his wife. Then they went back to their own land, where they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.
24 Na ka turia atu i reira i taua wa e nga tama a Iharaira ki tona iwi, ki tona iwi, ki tona hapu, ki tona hapu; na haere ana ratou i reira ki tona kainga, ki tona kainga.
Then the Israelites left and went home to their tribes and families, each one going to the land they owned.
25 I aua ra kahore o Iharaira kingi, ko ta ratou i mea ai ko nga mea i tika ki te titiro a tenei, a tenei.
At that time Israel didn't have a king—everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.
