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.”
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 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;
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
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?”
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 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.
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 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.’”
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 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.
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 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?”
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 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.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 He naʻe lau ʻae kakai, pea vakai, naʻe ʻikai ʻi ai ha taha mei he kakai ʻo Sepesi-Kiliati.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
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 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 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.
[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 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.
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 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 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 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 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 Pea naʻe fakatomala ʻae kakai ʻia Penisimani, koeʻuhi kuo fai ʻe Sihova ha tautea ʻi he ngaahi faʻahinga ʻo ʻIsileli.
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 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?
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 Pea naʻa nau pehē, Ke ʻai ha tofiʻa moʻonautolu kuo hao ʻia Penisimani, koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa ʻauha ha faʻahinga ʻe taha ʻi ʻIsileli.
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 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.”
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 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 [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 Ko ia naʻa nau fekau ai ki he fānau ʻa Penisimani, ʻo pehē, “ʻAlu ʻo toitoi, tatali ʻi he ngaahi ngoue vaine;
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 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.
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 ‘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.’”
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
