Jueces 21
1 Entonces los hombres de Israel habían jurado en Mizpa, diciendo: Ninguno de nosotros dará a su hija por esposa a los de Benjamín.
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 Y la gente vino a Bet-el, esperando allí hasta la tarde delante de Dios, y se entregó a llorar amargamente.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 Y dijeron: Señor, Dios de Israel, ¿por qué ha venido este destino a Israel, que hoy una tribu ha sido separada de 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, la gente se levantó temprano e hizo allí un altar, ofreciendo ofrendas quemadas y ofrendas de paz.
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 Y dijeron los hijos de Israel: ¿Quién hay entre todas las tribus de Israel que no subió al Señor en la reunión de todo Israel? Porque habían hecho un gran juramento de que quienquiera que no se acercara a Mizpa al Señor debía ser condenado a muerte.
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 Y los hijos de Israel se conmovieron con lástima por su hermano Benjamín, diciendo: Hoy se ha cortado una tribu 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 debemos hacer con respecto a las esposas para aquellos que todavía viven? Porque hemos jurado por el Señor que no les daremos a nuestras hijas por esposas.
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 Y ellos dijeron: ¿Cuál de las tribus de Israel no subió a Mizpa al Señor? Y se vio que nadie había venido de Jabes de Galaad a la reunión.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Porque cuando la gente estaba numerada, ningún hombre de la gente de Jabes de Galaad estaba presente.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Entonces ellos (la reunión) enviaron a doce mil de los mejores hombres de combate, y les dieron órdenes, diciendo: ve, y maten a la gente de Jabes de Galaad sin piedad, con sus mujeres y sus 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 Y esto es lo que debes hacer: cada hombre, y toda mujer que haya tenido relaciones sexuales con un hombre, debes matarlo, pero debes mantener a salvo a las vírgenes. Y así lo hicieron.
[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 Entre la gente de Jabes de Galaad había cuatrocientas jóvenes vírgenes que nunca habían tenido relaciones sexuales con un hombre; las llevaron a sus tiendas en 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 Y toda la reunión enviada a los hombres de Benjamín que estaban en la peña de Rimón, ofreciéndoles 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 Entonces volvió Benjamín; y les dieron las mujeres que habían guardado de la muerte entre las mujeres de Jabes de Galaad, pero aún no les bastaron.
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 Y el pueblo se conmovió con lástima por Benjamín, porque el Señor había desatado su ira sobre las tribus de Israel.
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 Entonces los hombres responsables de la reunión dijeron: ¿Cómo vamos a conseguir esposas para el resto de ellos, al ver que las mujeres de Benjamín están muertas?
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 Y ellos dijeron: Debe haber un heredero para el resto de la descendencia de Benjamín para que una tribu de Israel no pueda ser borrada de la existencia,
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 Viendo que no podemos darles a nuestras hijas como esposas; Porque los hijos de Israel habían jurado, diciendo: Maldito el que de a Benjamín una mujer.
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 Y dijeron: Mira, todos los años hay una fiesta del Señor en Silo, que está al norte de Betel, en el lado este de la carretera que sube de Betel a Siquem, y en El 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 Y dijeron a los varones de Benjamín: Vayan por los viñedos, esperando allí en secreto.
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 Y viendo; y si las hijas de Silo salen a participar en los bailes, entonces vengan de los viñedos y tomen una esposa para cada uno de ustedes entre las hijas de Silo, y regresen a 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 Y cuando sus padres o sus hermanos vengan y causen problemas, debes decirles: Danos esto como un acto de gracia; porque no las tomamos como esposas para nosotros mismos en la guerra; y si ustedes mismos nos los hubieran dado, habrían sido responsables del juramento roto.
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 Así que los hombres de Benjamín hicieron esto, y obtuvieron esposas para cada uno de ellos, sacándolas por la fuerza del baile; luego volvieron a su patrimonio, construyendo sus pueblos y viviendo en ellos.
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 Entonces los hijos de Israel se fueron de allí, cada uno a su tribu y su familia, cada uno regresó a su herencia.
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 aquellos días no había rey en Israel: todo hombre 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.
