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 men of Israel, had sworn in Mizpah, saying, —Not a man from among us, shall give his daughter unto Benjamin, to 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;
So then the people came to Bethel, and abode there, until the evening, before God, —and lifted up their voice, and wept bitterly,
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 Yahweh, God of Israel, hath this come about in Israel, —that there should be lacking, to-day, out of Israel, one tribe?
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 early, and built there, an altar, —and offered ascending-sacrifices, 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 sons of Israel said, Who was there that came not up, in the convocation, out of all the tribes of Israel, unto Yahweh? For, the great oath, had been taken, as to any who came not up unto Yahweh at Mizpah, saying—He shall 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 sons of Israel grieved for Benjamin, their brother, —and they said, There is cut off, to-day, one tribe out of 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 are we to do for them who remain, for wives, —seeing that, we ourselves, have sworn by Yahweh, 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.
So they said, What one of the tribes of Israel is there, that hath not come up unto Yahweh at Mizpah? And lo! no man had come into the camp, out of Jabesh-gilead, unto the convocation:
9 He naʻe lau ʻae kakai, pea vakai, naʻe ʻikai ʻi ai ha taha mei he kakai ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati.
When the people were numbered, lo! there was not there a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.
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.”
So the assembly sent thither twelve thousand men, of the sons of valour, —and commanded them, saying: —Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, with the edge of the sword, with the women, and the little ones.
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, is the thing that ye shall do, —Every male, and every woman that hath cohabited with man, shall ye devote to destruction.
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—of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead—four hundred young women, virgins, who had not cohabited with man, —so they brought them into the camp, at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
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.
Then the whole assembly sent, and spake unto the sons of Benjamin, who were in the cliff Rimmon, —and proclaimed to them, 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.
So Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, —but they found not for them [to suffice], even so.
15 Pea naʻe fakatomala ʻae kakai ʻia Penisimani, koeʻuhi kuo fai ʻe Sihova ha tautea ʻi he ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli.
Now, the assembly, had grieved for Benjamin, —because Yahweh 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?
So then, the elders of the assembly said, What are we to do for them who remain, for wives, —for womankind, hath 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 is an inheritance for the escaped of Benjamin, —and there must not be wiped out, a tribe, 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.”
Yet, we, may not give them wives, of our own daughters, For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed, be he that giveth 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.
Then said they—Lo! the festival of Yahweh in Shiloh, from year to year, Which [Shiloh] is on the north of Bethel, towards sunrise, by the highway that goeth up from Bethel, towards Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
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 commanded the sons 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 look, and lo! if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then shall ye come forth out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife, of the daughters of Shiloh, —and go your way to 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 be, when their fathers, or their brethren, come in to complain to us, that we will say unto them—As a favour to us, grant them, because we took not for each man his wife in the battle, —for, ye yourselves, gave them not unto them, so as, now, to be guilty.
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 sons of Benjamin did so, and carried off wives, according to their number, of them who were dancing, whom they seized, —and they went their way, and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt therein.
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 sons of Israel at that time went their several ways from thence, every man to his own tribe, and to his own family, —yea they went forth from thence, every man to his own 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.
In those days, there was no king in Israel, —every man did, that which was right in his own eyes.
