Jueces 21
1 Los hombres de Israel habían hecho un juramento en Mizpa: “Ninguno de nosotros permitirá que nuestras hijas se casen con un benjamita”.
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 Los israelitas fueron a Betel y se sentaron allí ante Dios hasta el atardecer, llorando a gritos de angustia.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 “Señor, Dios de Israel, ¿por qué le ha sucedido esto a Israel?”, preguntaron. “Hoy falta una de nuestras tribus en Israel”.
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 Al día siguiente se levantaron temprano, construyeron un altar y trajeron holocaustos y ofrendas de comunión.
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 “¿Cuál de todas las tribus de Israel no asistió a la asamblea que celebramos ante el Señor?”, preguntaron. Porque habían hecho un juramento sagrado de que cualquiera que no se presentara ante el Señor en Mizpa sería ejecutado sin excepción.
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 Los israelitas se compadecieron de su hermano Benjamín, diciendo: “¡Hoy una tribu ha sido arrancada de Israel!
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 ¿Qué haremos con las esposas para los que quedan, ya que hemos jurado ante el Señor que no permitiremos que ninguna de nuestras hijas se case con ellos?”
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 Entonces preguntaron: “¿Quién de todas las tribus de Israel no asistió a la asamblea que celebramos ante el Señor en Mizpa?” Descubrieron que nadie de Jabés Galaad había acudido al campamento para la asamblea,
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 pues una vez hecho el recuento, no había nadie de Jabés Galaad.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Así que la asamblea envió allí a doce mil de sus mejores guerreros. Les dieron órdenes, diciendo: “Vayan y maten a los habitantes de Jabes de Galaad con sus espadas, incluso a las mujeres y a los niños.
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 Esto es lo que tienen que hacer: Destruyan a todo varón y a toda mujer que haya tenido relaciones sexuales con un hombre”.
[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 Lograron encontrar entre los habitantes de Jabés Galaad cuatrocientas vírgenes que no habían tenido relaciones sexuales con un hombre. Las llevaron al campamento de Silo, en la tierra de Canaán.
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 Entonces toda la asamblea envió un mensaje a los benjamitas en la Roca de Rimónpara decirles: “¡Paz!”
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 Así que los hombres de Benjamín regresaron a sus casas y les dieron como esposas a las cuatrocientas mujeres de Jabes Galaad que se habían salvado. Sin embargo, no había suficiente para todos ellos.
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 El pueblo se compadeció de los benjamitas porque el Señor había hecho este vacío entre las tribus israelitas.
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 Los ancianos de la asamblea preguntaron: “¿Qué haremos para suplir a las esposas restantes, porque todas las mujeres de Benjamín han sido destruidas?”
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 Añadieron: “Tiene que haber herederos para los supervivientes benjaminitas; una tribu israelita de Israel no puede ser aniquilada.
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 Pero no podemos permitirles que tengan a nuestras hijas como esposas, ya que nosotros, como pueblo de Israel, hicimos un juramento sagrado, diciendo: ‘¡Maldito aquél que le dé una esposa a un benjaminita!’”
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 Entonces dijeron: “¡Mira! Todos los años se celebra la fiesta del Señor en Silo. Se celebra al norte de Betel, y al este del camino que va de Betel a Siquem, al sur de Lebona”.
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 Entonces ordenaron a los benjamitas: “Vayan y escóndanse en las viñas.
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 Estén atentos, y cuando vean a las jóvenes de Silo salir a hacer sus danzas, salgan corriendo de las viñas, y cada uno de ustedes secuestre una esposa para sí mismo y regrese a su casa en la tierra de Benjamín.
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 Si sus padres o hermanos vienen a quejarse a nosotros, les diremos: ‘Por favor, hágannos un favor, porque no pudimos encontrar suficientes esposas para ellos en la guerra. Y no es que ustedes sean culpables de romper el juramento, ya que no las dieron en matrimonio’”.
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 Losbenjaminitas hicieron lo que se les ordenó. Cada hombre tomó a una de las mujeres bailarinas hasta donde fue necesario y se la llevó para que fuera su esposa. Luego regresaron a su tierra, donde reconstruyeron sus ciudades y habitaron en ellas.
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 Luego los israelitas partieron y se fueron a sus tribus y familias, cada uno a la tierra que poseía.
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 En aquel tiempo Israel no tenía un rey; cada uno hacía lo que le parecía correcto.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
