Abahluleli 21
1 Amadoda akoIsrayeli ayefungile-ke eMizipa esithi: Kakukho lamunye wethu ozanika indodakazi yakhe kuBhenjamini ibe ngumkakhe.
Now the children of Israel swore in Massephath, saying, No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.
2 Abantu basebesiza eBhetheli, bahlala lapho phambi kukaNkulunkulu kwaze kwahlwa, baphakamisa ilizwi labo bakhala inyembezi ngokukhala okukhulu.
And the people came to Baethel, and sat there until evening before God: and they lifted up their voice and wept with a great weeping;
3 Basebesithi: Kungani, O Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, kwenzeke lokhu koIsrayeli ukuthi kusilele lamuhla isizwe esisodwa koIsrayeli?
and said, Therefore, O Lord God of Israel, has this come to pass, that today one tribe should be counted [as missing] from Israel?
4 Kwasekusithi kusisa abantu bavuka ngovivi, bakha ilathi lapho, banikela iminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula.
And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose up early, and built there an altar, and offered up whole burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebesithi: Ngubani ezizweni zonke zakoIsrayeli ongenyukelanga ebandleni eNkosini? Ngoba kwenziwa isifungo esikhulu ngalowo ongenyukelanga eNkosini eMizipa kuthiwa: Uzabulawa lokubulawa.
And the children of Israel said, Who of all the tribes of Israel, went not up in the congregation to the Lord? for there was a great oath concerning those who went not up to the Lord to Massephath, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
6 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebezisola ngenxa kaBhenjamini umfowabo, bathi: Kuqunyiwe lamuhla isizwe esisodwa sisuke koIsrayeli.
And the children of Israel relented towards Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day one tribe is cut off from Israel.
7 Sizabenzelani abaseleyo ngabafazi, ngoba thina sifungile ngeNkosi ukuthi kasiyikubanika emadodakazini ethu abe ngomkabo?
What shall we do for wives for the rest that remain? whereas we have sworn by the Lord, not to give them of our daughters for wives.
8 Basebesithi: Yisiphi ezizweni zakoIsrayeli esingenyukelanga eNkosini eMizipa? Khangela-ke kakuzanga loyedwa enkambeni ovela eJabeshi-Gileyadi ukuya ebandleni.
And they said, What one [man is there] of the tribes of Israel, who went not up to the Lord to Massephath? and, behold, no man came to the camp from Jabis Galaad to the assembly.
9 Ngoba abantu babebaliwe, khangela-ke, kwakungekho muntu kubahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi lapho.
And the people were numbered, and there was not there a man from the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad.
10 Ngakho inhlangano yathuma khona amadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi lambili awamaqhawe amakhulu, bawalaya bathi: Hambani liyetshaya abahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi ngobukhali benkemba, labesifazana labantwanyana.
And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the strongest, and they charged them, saying, Go you and strike the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad with the edge of the sword.
11 Yile into elizayenza: Lizatshabalalisa wonke owesilisa laye wonke owesifazana owazi ukulala lowesilisa.
And this shall you do: every male and every woman that has known the lying with man you shall devote [to destruction], but the virgins you shall save alive: and they did so.
12 Basebethola phakathi kwabahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi amankazana angamakhulu amane izintombi ezimsulwa ezingayazanga indoda ngokulala lowesilisa; basebewaletha enkambeni eShilo, eselizweni leKhanani.
And they found amongst the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to Selom in the land of Chanaan.
13 Inhlangano yonke yasithumela yakhuluma labantwana bakoBhenjamini ababesedwaleni leRimoni; bamemezela ukuthula kibo.
And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin in the rock Remmon, and invited them to [make] peace.
14 UBhenjamini wasebuya ngalesosikhathi, babanika abesifazana ababebagcine bephila kwabesifazana beJabeshi-Gileyadi, kodwa ngokunjalo kababanelanga.
And Benjamin returned to the children of Israel at that time, and the children of Israel gave them the women whom they [had] save alive of the daughters of Jabis Galaad; and they were content.
15 Abantu basebezisola ngenxa kaBhenjamini ngoba iNkosi yayenze ukwehlukana ezizweni zakoIsrayeli.
And the people relented for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Abadala benhlangano basebesithi: Sizabenzelani abaseleyo ngabafazi, ngoba abesifazana bachithiwe koBhenjamini?
And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
17 Basebesithi: Kumele kube lelifa labaphunyukileyo bakoBhenjamini, ukuze isizwe singatshabalaliswa koIsrayeli.
And they said, [There must be] an inheritance of them that are escaped of Benjamin; and [so] a tribe shall not be destroyed out of Israel.
18 Kodwa thina kasilakho ukubanika abafazi emadodakazini ethu, ngoba abantwana bakoIsrayeli bafungile besithi: Kaqalekiswe lowo onika uBhenjamini umfazi.
For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore amongst the children of Israel, saying, Cursed [is] he that gives a wife to Benjamin.
19 Basebesithi: Khangelani, kulomkhosi weNkosi eShilo iminyaka ngeminyaka engenyakatho kweBhetheli, lapho okuphuma khona ilanga komgwaqo omkhulu owenyuka usuka eBhetheli kusiya eShekema, langeningizimu kweLebona.
And they said, Behold! now [there is] a feast of the Lord from year to year in Selom, which is on the north of Baethel, eastward on the way that goes up from Baethel to Sychem, and from the south of Lebona.
20 Ngakho balaya abantwana bakoBhenjamini besithi: Hambani liyecathama ezivinini,
And they charged the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21 libone, njalo khangelani, nxa amadodakazi eShilo esephuma ukugida imigido, khona lizaphuma ezivinini lizibambele ngulowo lalowo umfazi wakhe emadodakazini eShilo, liye elizweni lakoBhenjamini.
and you shall see; and behold! if there come out the daughters of the inhabitants of Selom to dance in dances, then shall you go out of the vineyards and seize for yourselves every man a wife of the daughters of Selom, and go you into the land of Benjamin.
22 Kuzakuthi nxa oyise loba abanewabo befika besola kithi, sizakuthi kibo: Senzeleni umusa ngenxa yabo, ngoba kasibathathelanga ngulowo lalowo umfazi wakhe empini, ngoba lina kalibanikanga wona ngalesisikhathi ukuthi licaleke.
And it shall come to pass, when their fathers or their brethren come to dispute with us, that we will say to them, Grant them freely to us, for we have not taken every man his wife in the battle: because you did not give to them according to the occasion, you transgressed.
23 Ngakho abantwana bakoBhenjamini benza njalo, bathumba abafazi ngokwenani labo kwabagidayo ababahlwithayo; bahamba babuyela elifeni labo, bakha imizi, bahlala kiyo.
And the children of Benjamin did so; and they took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they seized: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and lived in them.
24 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli basebechitheka besuka lapho ngalesosikhathi, ngulowo lalowo waya esizweni sakhe lakusendo lwakhe; basebephuma besuka lapho, ngulowo lalowo waya elifeni lakhe.
And the children of Israel went thence at that time every man to his tribe and his kindred; and they went thence every man to his inheritance.
25 Ngalezonsuku kwakungelankosi koIsrayeli. Wonke umuntu wayesenza okwakulungile emehlweni akhe.
And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own sight.
