Vatongi 21
1 Varume veIsraeri vakanga vaita mhiko paMizipa vachiti: “Hapana mumwe wedu acharoodza mwanasikana wake kumuBhenjamini.”
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 Vanhu vakaenda kuBheteri, uko kwavakagara pamberi paMwari kusvikira madekwana, vachisimudza manzwi avo uye vachichema zvikuru.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 Vakachema vachiti, “Haiwa Jehovha, Mwari waIsraeri, seiko izvi zvakaitika kuIsraeri? Seiko rumwe rudzi rwashayikwa muIsraeri nhasi?”
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 Mangwanani ezuva rakatevera, vanhu vakavaka aritari vakapa zvipiriso zvinopiswa nezvipiriso zvokuwadzana.
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 Ipapo vaIsraeri vakabvunza vakati, “Ndianiko kubva kumarudzi ose aIsraeri akatadza kuungana navamwe pamberi paJehovha?” Nokuti vakanga vaita mhiko kuti ani zvake anotadza kuungana navamwe pamberi paJehovha paMizipa anofanira kuurayiwa zvirokwazvo.
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 Zvino vaIsraeri vakasuwa nokuda kwehama dzavo, vaBhenjamini. Vakati, “Nhasi rumwe rudzi rwabviswa pana Israeri.
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 Tichapa seiko vakadzi kuna avo vakasara, sezvo takapika kuna Jehovha kuti tirege kupa upi zvake wavanasikana vedu kuti awanikwe navo.”
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 Ipapo vakabvunza vakati, “Ndavapiko pamarudzi aIsraeri vakatadza kuungana navamwe pamberi paJehovha paMizipa?” Vakawana kuti kwakanga kusina munhu aibva kuJabheshi Gireadhi akanga auya kumusasa kuungano.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Nokuti vakati vaverenga vanhu, vakaona kuti kwakanga kusina munhu weJabheshi Gireadhi akanga aripo.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Saka ungano yakatuma varume vehondo zviuru gumi nezviviri vakavarayira kuti vaende kuJabheshi Gireadhi vandouraya nomunondo vanhu vaigarako, kusanganisira vakadzi navana.
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 Vakati, “Hezvi zvamunofanira kuita: Urayai murume mumwe nomumwe nomukadzi mumwe nomumwe asiri mhandara.”
[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 Vakawana pakati pavanhu vaigara muJabheshi Gireadhi mhandara mazana mana vakanga vasina kumbovata navarume, vakaenda navo kumusasa paShiro muKenani.
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 Ipapo ungano yose yakatuma nhume neshoko rorugare kuvaBhenjamini paruware rweRimoni.
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 Saka vaBhenjamini vakadzoka panguva iyoyo vakapiwa vakadzi veJabheshi Gireadhi vakanga vasara. Asi vakanga vasina kuvakwanira vose.
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 Vanhu vakasuwa nokuda kweBhenjamini, nokuti Jehovha akanga aisa mukaha mumarudzi avaIsraeri.
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 Uye vakuru veungano vakati, “Sezvo vakadzi veBhenjamini vakaparadzwa, tichawanira seiko varume vakasara vakadzi?”
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 Vakati, “VaBhenjamini vakasara vanofanira kuva navadyi venhaka kuitira kuti rudzi rwaIsraeri rurege kurova.
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 Hatigoni kuvapa vanasikana vedu kuti vave vakadzi vavo sezvo isu vaIsraeri takapika tichiti, ‘Ngaatukwe munhu anopa mukadzi kumuBhenjamini.’
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 Asi tarirai, kune mutambo waJehovha wegore negore paShiro, nechokumusoro kweBheteri, kumabvazuva omugwagwa unobva kuBheteri uchienda kuShekemu, nezasi kweRebhona.”
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 Saka vakarayira vaBhenjamini vakati, “Endai mundovanda muminda yemizambiringa
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 uye mutarire. Vasikana veShiro pavanobuda kuti vandotamba navamwe, ipapo mumhanye muchibva muminda yemizambiringa mumwe nomumwe wenyu azvitorere mukadzi kubva kuvasikana veShiro mugoenda henyu kunyika yavaBhenjamini.
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 Madzibaba avo kana hanzvadzi dzavo pavanouya kuzomhanʼara kwatiri, isu tichati kwavari, ‘Tiitirei henyu zvakanaka nokuvabatsira, nokuti hatina kuvawanira vakadzi panguva yehondo, uye imi hamuna mhosva, sezvo musina kupa vanasikana venyu kwavari.’”
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 Saka ndizvo zvakaitwa navaBhenjamini. Vasikana vachiri kutamba, murume mumwe nomumwe akabata musikana ndokuenda naye kuti ave mukadzi wake. Ipapo vakadzokera kunhaka yavo uye vakavakazve maguta vakagara maari.
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 Panguva iyoyo vaIsraeri vakabva panzvimbo iyo vakaenda kumusha kumarudzi avo nokudzimba dzavo, mumwe nomumwe kunhaka yake pachake.
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 Mumazuva iwayo kwakanga kusina mambo pakati paIsraeri; mumwe nomumwe aiita zvaaifunga kuti zvakanaka.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
