Mga Hukom 21
1 Ngayon gumawa ng isang pangako ang mga kalalakihan ng Israel sa Mizpa, “Wala sa amin ang magbibigay ng kaniyang anak na babae para ipakasal sa isang Benjaminita.”
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 Pagkatapos nagpunta ang mga tao sa Bethel at umupo sa harapan ng Diyos hanggang gabi, at labis silang umiyak na may malakas na tinig.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 Sinigaw nila, “Bakit, nangyari ito sa Israel, Yahweh, Diyos ng Israel, dapat bang mawala ang isa sa aming mga lipi sa araw na ito?”
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 Nagising ng maaga ang mga tao nang sumunod araw at nagtayo ng isang altar doon at naghandog ng susunuging alay at mga handog ng pangkapayapaan.
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 Sinabi ng mga tao ng Israel, “Alin sa lahat ng lipi ng Israel ang hindi dumalo sa pagpupulong para kay Yahweh?” Dahil gumawa sila ng isang mahalagang pangako tungkol sa sinumang hindi nagpakita kay Yahweh sa Mizpa. Sinabi nila, “Tiyak na ipapapatay siya.”
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 May malasakit ang mga tao ng Israel sa kapatid nilang si Benjamita. Sinabi nila, “Ngayong araw isang lipi ang ititiwalag mula sa 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 Sino ang magbibigay ng mga asawang babae para sa mga naiwan, dahil mayroon tayong ginawang isang pangako kay Yahweh na hindi natin hahayaan ang sinuman sa kanila na maipakasal sa ating mga anak na babae?”
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 Sinabi nila, “Alin sa mga lipi ng Israel ang hindi nagpakita kay Yahweh sa Mizpa?” Nakitang wala ni isa ang pumunta sa kapulungan mula sa Jabes Galaad.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Dahil nang binilang ng mga tao sa isang maayos na paraan, masdan ninyo, wala sa mga naninirahan sa Jabes Galaad ang naroon.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Nagpadala ang kapulungan ng 12, 000 sa kanilang pinakamatatapang na tauhan at inutusang magtungo sa Jabes Galaad at salakayin at patayin sila, kahit ang mga kababaihan at mga bata.
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 “Gawin ito: Dapat ninyong patayin ang bawat lalaki at bawat babaeng nakipagsiping sa isang lalaki.”
[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 Nakita ng mga kalalakihan ang apat na daang kababaihan na naninirahan sa Jabes Galaad na hindi pa nasipingan ng isang lalaki, at dinala sila sa kampo ng Silo, sa Canaan.
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 Nagpadala ng isang mensahe ang buong kapulungan at sinabi sa mga tao ng Benjamin na naroon sa bato ng Rimon na sila ay nag-handog ng kapayapaan.
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 Kaya bumalik ang Benjaminita sa panahon na iyon at binigyan sila ng kababaihan sa Jabesh Gilead. Dahil hindi sapat ang kababaihan para sa kanilang lahat.
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 Nalungkot ang mga tao sa nangyari kay Benjamin, dahil gumawa si Yahweh ng isang pagkakahati-hati sa pagitan ng mga lipi ng 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 Pagkatapos sinabi ng mga namumuno ng kapulungan, “Paano natin aayusin ang mga asawang babae para sa mga Benjamita na naiwan, simula nang pinatay ang mga kababaihan ni Benjamin?”
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 Sinabi nila,” Dapat na mayroong isang pamana para sa mga nakaligtas na Benjaminta, para hindi mawasak ang isang lipi mula sa Israel.
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 Hindi namin sila mabibigyan ng mga asawa mula sa aming mga anak na babae. Dahil gumawa ng isang pangako ang tao ng Israel, 'Sumpain ang sinumang magbigay ng asawa sa lipi ng Benjamin.”'
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 Kaya sinabi nila, “Alam ninyong may isang pista para kay Yahweh sa bawat taon sa Silo (na nasa hilaga ng Betel, silangan ng daan na nagdudugtong mula sa Betel hanggang Sechem, at timog ng 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 Binigyan nila ng tagubilin mga kalalakihan ni Benjamin, sinasabing, “Humayo at magtago ng palihim at maghintay sa mga ubasan.
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 Bantayan ang pagkakataon kapag lumabas na ang mga kababahan para sumayaw mula sa Silo, magmadaling pumunta sa mga ubasan at dapat na kumuha ng isang asawa mula sa mga kababahan ng Silo ang bawat isa sa inyo, pagkatapos bumalik sa lupain ng Benjamin.
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 Kapag pumunta ang kanilang mga ama o kanilang mga kapatid na lalaki para tumutol sa amin, sasabihin namin sa kanila, 'Bigyan ninyo kami ng pabor! Hayaan silang manatili sa amin dahil hindi kami nakakuha ng mga asawa sa panahon ng digmaan. At wala kayong kasalanan hinggil sa isang pangako, dahil hindi ninyo ibinigay sakanila ang inyong mga anak na babae.”'
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 Iyon nga ang ginawa ng mga tao ni Benjamin, kinuha nila ang bilang ng mga asawang kinakailangan nila mula sa mga kababaihan na sumasayaw, at sila ay dinala nila palayo para maging kanilang mga asawa. Sila ay umalis at bumalik sa lugar na kanilang minana; muli nilang itinayo ang mga bayan, at doon sila namuhay.
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 Pagkatapos iniwan ng mga tao ng Israel ang lugar at umuwi, bawat isa sa kaniyang sariling lipi at angkan, at bawat isa sa kaniyang sariling mana.
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 Sa mga panahon na iyon walang hari sa Israel. Ginawa ng bawat isa kung ano ang tama sa kanilang sariling mga paningin.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
