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.
Now the men of Israel had made a promise at Mizpah, “None of us will give his daughter 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.
Then the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, and with loud voices they wept bitterly.
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?
They called out, “Why, Yahweh, God of Israel, has this happened to Israel, that one of our tribes should be missing today?”
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 the people got up early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace 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.
The people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to Yahweh?” For they had made an important promise concerning anyone who did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah. They said, “He would certainly be put to death.”
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 people of Israel had compassion for their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today one tribe has been cut 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?
Who will provide wives for those who are left, since we have made a promise to Yahweh that we will not let any of them marry our daughters?”
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.
They said, “Which of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Yahweh at Mizpah?” It was found that no one had come to the assembly from Jabesh Gilead.
9 I taua hoki te iwi, a kahore tetahi tangata i reira o nga tangata o Iapehe Kireara.
For when the people were set out in an orderly manner, behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there.
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.
The assembly sent twelve thousand of their bravest men with instructions to go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including 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.
“Do this: You must kill every male and every woman who has slept 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.
The men found among those living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh, in 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.
The entire assembly sent a message and told the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon that they were offering 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.
The Benjamites returned at that time and they were given the women of Jabesh Gilead, but there were not enough women 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 were sorry for what happened to Benjamin, because Yahweh made a division between the tribes of Israel.
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?
Then the leaders of the assembly said, “How will we arrange wives for the Benjamites who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been killed?”
17 I mea ano ratou, Kia whai kainga tupu nga morehu o Pineamine, kei moti rawa tetahi iwi i roto i a Iharaira.
They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe is not destroyed from Israel.
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.
We cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the people of Israel had made a promise, 'Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.'”
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.
So they said, “You know there is a feast for Yahweh every year at Shiloh (which is north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah).”
20 Na ka whakahau atu ratou ki nga tama a Pineamine, ka mea, Haere ki nga mara waina whanga ai;
They instructed the men of Benjamin, saying, “Go and hide in secret and wait 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.
Watch for the time when the girls from Shiloh come out to dance, then rush out of the vineyards and each one of you should grab a wife from the girls of Shiloh, then go back 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.
When their fathers or their brothers come to protest to us, we will say to them, 'Show us favor! Let them remain because we did not get wives for each man during the war. You are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.'”
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 people of Benjamin did so. They took the number of wives that they needed from the girls who were dancing and they carried them off to be their wives. They went and returned to the place of their inheritance. They rebuilt the 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 people of Israel left that place and went home, each one to his own tribe and clan, and each one to his own inheritance.
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.
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
