Atemmufoɔ 21
1 Israelfoɔ aka ntam wɔ Mispa sɛ, wɔremfa wɔn mmammaa mma ɔbarima biara a ɔfiri Benyamin abusuakuo mu awadeɛ.
Now the men of Israel had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, Not one of us will give his daughter as a wife to Benjamin.
2 Nnipa no kɔɔ Bet-El kɔtenaa Onyankopɔn anim kɔsii anwummerɛ, maa wɔn nne so, suu dendeenden kaa sɛ,
And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
3 “Ao Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, adɛn enti na saa asɛm yi asi? Seesei yɛn mmusuakuo no mu baako ayera!”
And they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this fate come on Israel, that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel?
4 Adekyeɛ mu no, nnipa no tuaa nhema sii afɔrebukyia, na wɔbɔɔ ɔhyeɛ ne asomdwoeɛ afɔdeɛ.
Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
5 Wɔbisaa sɛ, “Abusuakuo bi wɔ hɔ a wannya ɔnanmusini ɛberɛ a yɛkɔɔ nhyiamu kɛseɛ wɔ Awurade anim wɔ Mispa no anaa?” Saa ɛberɛ no, na wɔaka ntankɛseɛ wɔ Awurade anim sɛ, obiara a wamma no, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔwu.
And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel, who did not come up to the Lord at the meeting of all Israel? For they had taken a great oath that whoever did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord was to be put to death.
6 Na Israelfoɔ no dii yea wɔ Benyaminfoɔ no ho kaa sɛ, “Ɛnnɛ yi, abusuakuo baako afiri yɛn mu; na nʼase reyɛ atɔre.
And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7 Na ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na yɛanya yerenom ama wɔn a wɔaka no, ɛsiane sɛ, yɛaka Awurade ntam sɛ yɛremfa yɛn mmammaa mu biara mma wɔn awadeɛ?”
What are we to do about wives for those who are still living? For we have taken an oath by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters for wives.
8 Enti wɔbisaa sɛ, “Ɛberɛ a yɛde yɛn ho kyerɛɛ Awurade wɔ Mispa no na obi nni hɔ bi anaa?” Ɛhɔ na wɔhunuu sɛ, obiara amfiri Yabes Gilead amma saa badwa no mu bi.
And they said, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And it was seen that no one had come from Jabesh-gilead to the meeting.
9 Na wɔkan nnipa no nyinaa no, wɔannya obiara a ɔfiri Yabes Gilead.
For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
10 Enti, wɔsomaa akofoɔ mpem dumienu kɔɔ Yabes Gilead sɛ wɔnkɔkunkum obiara a ɔwɔ hɔ a mmaa ne mmɔfra ka ho.
So they (the meeting) sent twelve thousand of the best fighting-men, and gave them orders, saying, Go and put the people of Jabesh-gilead to the sword without mercy, with their women and their little ones.
11 Wɔkaa sɛ, “Yei na ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ. Monkum ɔbarima ne ɔbaa biara a ɔnyɛ ɔbaabunu.”
And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so.
12 Yabes Gileadfoɔ mu no, wɔhunuu mmaabunu ahanan a wɔne mmarima nnaa da, na wɔde wɔn baa nsraban a ɛwɔ Silo wɔ Kanaan asase so hɔ.
Now there were among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never had sex relations with a man; these they took to their tents in Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13 Na Israelfoɔ badwa no somaa asomdwoeɛ abɔfoɔ ma wɔkɔɔ Benyaminfoɔ nkaeɛ no a na wɔte Rimon botan ho no nkyɛn.
And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
14 Na Benyaminfoɔ no sane kɔɔ wɔn afie mu, na wɔde mmaabunu a wɔfiri Yabes Gilead a wɔankum bi no maa wɔn awadeɛ. Nanso, mmaa no anso wɔn so.
Then Benjamin came back; and they gave them the women whom they had kept from death among the women of Jabesh-gilead: but still there were not enough for them.
15 Nnipa no dii Benyaminfoɔ no ho yea, sɛ Awurade ama mpaapaemu aba Israel mmusuakuo no mu.
And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
16 Enti, Israel ntuanofoɔ no bisaa sɛ, “Sɛ wɔatɔre mmaa a wɔfiri Benyamin ase yi, ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na yɛanya yerenom ama mmarima a aka no?
Then the responsible men of the meeting said, What are we to do about wives for the rest of them, seeing that the women of Benjamin are dead?
17 Ɛsɛ sɛ Benyaminfoɔ a aka no nya adedifoɔ sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, Israel abusuakuo bi ase ntɔre.
And they said, How is the rest of Benjamin to be given offspring so that one tribe of Israel may not be put out of existence,
18 Nanso yɛrentumi mfa yɛn mmammaa mma wɔn awadeɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, yɛaka ntankɛseɛ sɛ, obiara a ɔde ne babaa bɛma Benyaminni awadeɛ no, Awurade nnome mmra ne so.”
Seeing that we may not give them our daughters as wives? For the children of Israel had taken an oath, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
19 Afei wɔdwenee Awurade afeafe afahyɛ no ho, deɛ wɔdi wɔ Silo, a ɛwɔ Lebona ne Bet-El ntam, wɔ ɛkwan a ɛfiri Bet-El kɔsi Sekem no apueeɛ fam.
And they said, See, every year there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is to the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway which goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20 Na wɔka kyerɛɛ Benyamin mmarima a wɔda so hwehwɛ yerenom no sɛ, “Monkɔtɛ wɔ bobe nturo no mu.
And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
21 Sɛ mmaa a wɔfiri Silo no ba bɛsa wɔn asa no a, mompue mfiri bobe nturo no mu, na mo mu biara bɛtumi afa wɔn mu baako de no akɔ efie sɛ ne yere.
And watching; and if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then come from the vine-gardens and take a wife for every one of you from among the daughters of Shiloh, and go back to the land of Benjamin.
22 Na sɛ wɔn agyanom ne wɔn nuanom mmarima ba sɛ wɔmpene so a, yɛbɛka akyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Yɛsrɛ mo, monte aseɛ. Momma wɔmfa mo mmammaa no, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛberɛ a yɛkunkumm Yabes Gileadfoɔ no, yɛannya mmaa a ɛbɛso wɔn nyinaa so amma wɔn. Monnni ntam no ho fɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛnyɛ mo na mode mo mmammaa maa wɔn awadeɛ.’”
And when their fathers or their brothers come and make trouble, you are to say to them, Give them to us as an act of grace; for we did not take them as wives for ourselves in war; and if you yourselves had given them to us you would have been responsible for the broken oath.
23 Enti, Benyamin mmarima no yɛɛ sɛdeɛ wɔkyerɛɛ wɔn no. Wɔwiawiaa mmaa a wɔbaa afahyɛ no ase, de wɔn kɔɔ asase a ɛyɛ wɔn agyapadeɛ no so. Na wɔkyekyeree wɔn nkuro no bio tenaa mu.
So the men of Benjamin did this, and got wives for themselves for every one of their number, taking them away by force from the dance; then they went back to their heritage, building up their towns and living in them.
24 Na Israelfoɔ mmusuakuo ne mmusua no firii hɔ sane kɔɔ wɔn ankasa afie mu.
Then the children of Israel went away from there, every man to his tribe and his family, every man went back to his heritage.
25 Saa ɛberɛ no na Israel nni ɔhene, enti na deɛ nnipa no gye di sɛ ɛyɛ wɔ wɔn ani so no na wɔyɛ.
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.
