Abbootii Murtii 21
1 Israaʼeloonni, “Nu keessaa namni tokko illee Beniyaamotatti intala isaa heerumsiisuu hin qabu” jedhanii Miisphaatti wal kakachiisanii turan.
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 Sabnis gara Beetʼeel dhaqanii hamma galgalaatti fuula Waaqaa dura taaʼuudhaan sagalee isaanii ol fuudhanii hiqqifatanii booʼan.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 Isaanis, “Yaa Waaqayyo, Waaqa Israaʼel, wanni kun maaliif Israaʼel irra gaʼe? Harʼa gosti tokko maaliif Israaʼel keessaa dhabamaa?” jedhanii iyyan.
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 Namoonnis guyyaa itti aanutti ganamaan iddoo aarsaa tolchanii aarsaa gubamuu fi aarsaa nagaa dhiʼeessan.
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 Ergasiis Israaʼeloonni, “Gosoota Israaʼel hundumaa keessaa gosti fuula Waaqayyoo duratti wal gaʼii irratti hin argamin kami?” jedhanii gaafatan. Namni fuula Waaqayyoo duratti wal gaʼii irratti hin argamin haa ajjeefamu jedhanii Miisphaatti walii kakatanii turaniitii.
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 Israaʼeloonni garuu obboloota isaanii Beniyaamotaaf garaa laafanii akkana jedhan; “Harʼa gosti tokko Israaʼel irraa citeera.
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 Egaa warra hafaniif akkamitti niitota argachuu dandeenya? Nu akka intallan keenya isaanitti hin heerumsiifne Waaqayyoon kakanneerraatii.”
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 Ergasiis, “Gosti Miisphaatti fuula Waaqayyoo duratti wal gaʼii irratti hin argamin kami?” jedhan. Isaanis akka namni tokko iyyuu Yaabeesh Giliʼaadii gara qubataa wal gaʼiidhaaf hin dhufin beekan.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Yeroo namoota lakkaaʼanittis akka namni Yaabeesh Giliʼaad tokko iyyuu achi hin jirre hubatan.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Kanaafuu waldaan sun loltoota kuma kudha lama gara Yaabeesh Giliʼaad ergee akka isaan warra achi jiraatan, dubartootaa fi daaʼimman dabalanii goraadeedhaan fixan ajaje.
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 Isaanis, “Wanni isin gochuu qabdan kanaa dha; dhiira hundaa fi dubartoota durbummaa hin qabne hunda ajjeesaa” jedhan.
[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 Isaanis namoota Yaabeesh Giliʼaad keessa jiraatan keessaa dubarran takkumaa dhiirri bira hin gaʼin dhibba afur argatan; gara biyya Kanaʼaan kan qubata Shiilootti argamu sanaattis isaan fidan.
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 Ergasiis waldaan guutuun Beniyaamota kattaa Rimoon bira jiraatanitti waamicha nagaa ergan.
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 Beniyaamonnis yeroo sanatti ni dachaʼan; dubartoonni Yaabeesh Giliʼaad kanneen duʼa jalaa baraaraman akka niitota isaaniif taʼaniif kennamaniif; garuu hunda isaanii wal hin geenye.
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 Namoonnis sababii Waaqayyo gosoota Israaʼel gidduutti gargari baʼumsa uumeef Beniyaamiif gaddan.
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 Maanguddoonni waldaas akkana jedhan; “Dubartoonni Beniyaam dhumaniiru; egaa dhiirota hafaniif akkamitti niitota argachuu dandeenya?
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 Akka gosti tokko Israaʼel keessaa hin badneef Beniyaamonni hafan dhaaltota argachuu qabu.
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 Nu Israaʼeloonni sababii, ‘Namni intala isaa Beniyaamotatti heerumsiisu haa abaaramu’ jennee kakanneef, intallan keenya niitummaadhaan isaanii kennuu hin dandeenyu.
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 Kunoo ayyaanni Waaqayyoo tokko wagguma waggaan Shiilootti ni ayyaaneffama; Shiiloon kunis Beetʼeel irraa gara kaabaatti, karaa Beetʼeelii baʼee Sheekemitti geessu irraa gara baʼaatti akkasumas Leboonaa irraa gara kibbaatti argamti.”
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 Kanaafuu isaan akkana jedhanii Beniyaamota gorsan; “Dhaqaa iddoo dhaabaa wayinii keessa riphaa eeggadhaa.
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 Ilaalaa; yommuu dubarri Shiiloo sirbaaf baʼanitti iddoo dhaabaa wayinii keessaa baʼaatii tokkoo tokkoo keessaniif niitii tokko tokko qabaadhaatii gara Beniyaamitti deebiʼaa.
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 Yommuu abbootiin isaanii yookaan obboloonni isaanii nutti himatanitti, ‘Sababii nu yeroo waraanaatti tokkoo tokkoo isaaniitiif niitii arguu hin dandaʼiniif isin isaan gargaaruudhaan dhiifama nuu godhaa; isinis sababii jaallattanii dubara keessan hin kenniniif balleessaa hin qabdan’ jennaan.”
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 Beniyaamonnis akkuma isaanitti himame sana godhan; utuma dubarran sirbaa jiranuus tokkoon tokkoon namaa tokko tokko butee akka niitii isaa taatuuf fudhatee qajeele. Ergasiis gara dhaala isaaniitti deebiʼanii magaalaa isaanii haaromfatanii achi jiraatan.
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 Yeroo sanattis ijoolleen Israaʼel iddoo sanaa kaʼanii gara mana isaanii, gara gosa isaanii, gara lammii isaaniitii fi gara dhaala isaaniitti deebiʼan.
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 Bara sana Israaʼel keessa mootiin hin jiru ture; tokkoon tokkoon namaa waanuma isatti tole hojjeta ture.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
