Fakamaau 21
1 Pea naʻe fuakava ʻae kau tangata ʻIsileli ʻi Misipa, ʻo pehē, “ʻOua naʻa ai ha tokotaha ʻiate kitautolu ʻe ʻatu hono ʻofefine kia Penisimani kenau mali.”
Now the children of Israel swore in Massephath, saying, No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.
2 Pea naʻe haʻu ʻae kakai ki he fale ʻoe ʻOtua, pea nofo ʻi ai ʻo aʻu ki he efiafi, pea naʻe hiki honau leʻo, ʻo tangi mamahi;
And the people came to Baethel, and sat there until evening before God: and they lifted up their voice and wept with a great weeping;
3 Pea naʻa nau pehē, “ʻE Sihova ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli, ko e hā kuo hoko ai ʻae meʻa ni ʻi ʻIsileli, koeʻuhi ke mole ai he ʻaho ni ha faʻahinga ʻi ʻIsileli?”
and said, Wherefore, O Lord God of Israel, has this come to pass, that to-day one tribe should be counted [as missing] from Israel?
4 Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē ʻi he pongipongi hake, naʻe tuʻu ai ʻae kakai, pea fokotuʻu ʻi ai ʻae feilaulauʻanga, pea naʻe ʻatu ai ʻae ngaahi feilaulau tutu mo e ngaahi feilaulau fakalelei.
And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose up early, and built there an altar, and offered up whole-burnt-offerings and peace offerings.
5 Pea pehē ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, “Ko hai ia ʻi he ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli naʻe ʻikai ʻalu hake mo e fakataha lahi kia Sihova? He naʻa nau fai ʻae fuakava lahi koeʻuhi ko ia naʻe ʻikai ʻalu hake kia Sihova ki Misipa, ʻo pehē, ‘Ko e moʻoni ʻe tāmateʻi ia.’”
And the children of Israel said, Who of all the tribes of Israel, went not up in the congregation to the Lord? for there was a great oath concerning those who went not up to the Lord to Massephath, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
6 Pea naʻe fakatomala ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli koeʻuhi ko Penisimani ko honau tokoua, ʻonau pehē, “Kuo motuhi ha faʻahinga ʻe taha mei ʻIsileli he ʻaho ni.
And the children of Israel relented toward Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day one tribe is cut off from Israel.
7 Ko e hā te tau fai koeʻuhi ke maʻu honau uaifi ʻekinautolu ʻoku toe, he kuo tau fuakava ʻia Sihova ʻe ʻikai te tau foaki kenau mali mo hotau ngaahi ʻofefine?”
What shall we do for wives for the rest that remain? whereas we have sworn by the Lord, not to give them of our daughters for wives.
8 Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Ko hai ha tokotaha ʻoe faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli naʻe ʻikai ʻalu hake ki Misipa kia Sihova?” Pea vakai, naʻe ʻikai haʻu ha tokotaha ki he ʻapitanga mei Sepesi-Kiliati ki he fakataha lahi.
And they said, What one [man is there] of the tribes of Israel, who went not up to the Lord to Massephath? and, behold, no man came to the camp from Jabis Galaad to the assembly.
9 He naʻe lau ʻae kakai, pea vakai, naʻe ʻikai ʻi ai ha taha mei he kakai ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati.
And the people were numbered, and there was not there a man from the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad.
10 Pea naʻe fekau ki ai ʻe he fakataha lahi ʻae kau tangata ʻe tokotaha mano naʻe mālohi lahi, pea naʻe fekau pehē kiate kinautolu, “ʻAlu, ʻo taaʻi ʻae kakai ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati ʻaki ʻae mata ʻoe heletā, ʻae kau fefine mo e fānau.”
And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the strongest, and they charged them, saying, Go ye and smite the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad with the edge of the sword.
11 Pea ko e meʻa ni ke mou fai, Te mou fakaʻauha ʻaupito ʻae tangata kotoa pē, mo e fefine kotoa pē kuo mohe mo e tangata.
And this shall ye do: every male and every woman that has known the lying with man ye shall devote [to destruction], but the virgins ye shall save alive: and they did so.
12 Pea naʻa nau ʻilo ʻi he kakai ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati ʻae kau taʻahine tāupoʻou ʻe toko fāngeau, naʻe ʻikai tenau ʻilo ʻae tangata ʻi he mohe mo e tangata: pea naʻa nau ʻomi ʻakinautolu ki he ʻapitanga ki Sailo, ʻaia ʻoku ʻi he fonua ko Kēnani.
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to Selom in the land of Chanaan.
13 Pea naʻe ʻave ʻae lea mei he fakataha lahi ki he fānau ʻa Penisimani, naʻe [nofo ]ʻi he maka ko Limoni, pea ko e lea fakamelino ia kiate kinautolu.
And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin in the rock Remmon, and invited them to [make] peace.
14 Pea naʻe toe haʻu ʻa Penisimani he kuonga ko ia; pea naʻa nau ʻatu honau ngaahi uaifi ʻaia kuo nau fakamoʻui ʻi he kau fefine ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati: ka naʻe ʻikai tenau totofu.
And Benjamin returned to the children of Israel at that time, and the children of Israel gave them the women whom they [had] save alive of the daughters of Jabis Galaad; and they were content.
15 Pea naʻe fakatomala ʻae kakai ʻia Penisimani, koeʻuhi kuo fai ʻe Sihova ha tautea ʻi he ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli.
And the people relented for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Pea naʻe toki pehē ʻe he kau mātuʻa ʻoe fakataha, “Ko e hā ha meʻa te tau fai koeʻuhi ke maʻu uaifi ʻakinautolu ʻoku toe, koeʻuhi kuo ʻauha ʻae kau fefine meia Penisimani?
And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
17 Pea naʻa nau pehē, Ke ʻai ha tofiʻa moʻonautolu kuo hao ʻia Penisimani, koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa ʻauha ha faʻahinga ʻe taha ʻi ʻIsileli.
And they said, [There must be] an inheritance of them that are escaped of Benjamin; and [so] a tribe shall not be destroyed out of Israel.
18 Ka ʻoku moʻoni ʻoku ʻikai ngofua ke tau ʻatu honau uaifi ʻi hotau ngaahi ʻofefine: he kuo fuakava ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻo pehē, Ke malaʻia ia ʻaia ʻoku ne foaki ha uaifi kia Penisimani.”
For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore among the children of Israel, saying, Cursed [is] he that gives a wife to Benjamin.
19 Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Vakai, ʻoku ai ʻae kātoanga maʻa Sihova ʻoku fai ʻi he taʻu kotoa pē ʻi Sailo,” ʻi he potu fakatokelau ʻo Peteli, ʻi he potu hahake ʻi he hala lahi ʻoku ʻalu hake mei Peteli ki Sikemi, pea ʻi he potu tonga ʻo Lepona.
And they said, Lo! now [there is] a feast of the Lord from year to year in Selom, which is on the north of Baethel, eastward on the way that goes up from Baethel to Sychem, and from the south of Lebona.
20 Ko ia naʻa nau fekau ai ki he fānau ʻa Penisimani, ʻo pehē, “ʻAlu ʻo toitoi, tatali ʻi he ngaahi ngoue vaine;
And they charged the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21 Pea sio, pea vakai, kapau ʻoku haʻu ʻae ngaahi ʻofefine ʻo Sailo ke meʻe ʻi he ngaahi meʻe, mou haʻu ai mei he ngaahi ngoue vaine, ʻo puke ke taki taha homou uaifi ʻi he ngaahi ʻofefine ʻo Sailo, pea mou ʻalu ki he fonua ʻo Penisimani.
and ye shall see; and lo! if there come out the daughters of the inhabitants of Selom to dance in dances, then shall ye go out of the vineyards and seize for yourselves every man a wife of the daughters of Selom, and go ye into the land of Benjamin.
22 ‘Pea ka haʻu ʻenau ngaahi tamai, pe ko honau ngaahi tuongaʻane ke ʻeke ia kiate kimautolu, te mau pehē kiate kinautolu, Mou fai ʻofa kiate kinautolu koeʻuhi ko kimautolu: koeʻuhi naʻe ʻikai te mau fakatoe kiate kinautolu taki taha hono uaifi ʻi he tau: pea naʻe ʻikai te mou foaki ʻakinautolu ʻi he kuonga ni, ke mou halaia ai.’”
And it shall come to pass, when their fathers or their brethren come to dispute with us, that we will say to them, Grant them freely to us, for we have not taken every man his wife in the battle: because ye did not give to them according to the occasion, ye transgressed.
23 Pea naʻe fai pehē ʻe he fānau ʻa Penisimani, ʻo fili honau uaifi ʻo fakatatau ki honau lau, meiate kinautolu naʻe meʻe, ʻakinautolu naʻa nau puke: pea naʻa nau ʻalu ʻo toe hoko ki honau tofiʻa, ʻo toe teuteu ʻenau ngaahi kolo, pea nofo ki ai.
And the children of Benjamin did so; and they took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they seized: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.
24 Pea naʻe ʻalu mei ai ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi he kuonga ko ia, ʻae tangata taki taha ki hono faʻahinga pea ki hono kāinga, pea naʻe ʻalu mei ai ʻae tangata taki taha ki hono tofiʻa.
And the children of Israel went thence at that time every man to his tribe and his kindred; and they went thence every man to his inheritance.
25 ʻI he ngaahi ʻaho ko ia naʻe ʻikai ha tuʻi ʻi ʻIsileli: ka naʻe fai ʻe he tangata kotoa pē ʻaia naʻe lelei ʻi hono mata ʻoʻona.
And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own sight.
