Atemmufoɔ 21
1 Israelfoɔ aka ntam wɔ Mispa sɛ, wɔremfa wɔn mmammaa mma ɔbarima biara a ɔfiri Benyamin abusuakuo mu awadeɛ.
The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, “None of us will allow our daughters to marry a Benjamite.”
2 Nnipa no kɔɔ Bet-El kɔtenaa Onyankopɔn anim kɔsii anwummerɛ, maa wɔn nne so, suu dendeenden kaa sɛ,
The Israelites went to Bethel and sat there before God until the evening, crying loudly in distress.
3 “Ao Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, adɛn enti na saa asɛm yi asi? Seesei yɛn mmusuakuo no mu baako ayera!”
“Lord, God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel?” they asked. “Today one of our tribes is missing from Israel.”
4 Adekyeɛ mu no, nnipa no tuaa nhema sii afɔrebukyia, na wɔbɔɔ ɔhyeɛ ne asomdwoeɛ afɔdeɛ.
The next day they got up early, built an altar, and brought burnt offerings and friendship 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.
“Which of all the tribes of Israel didn't attend the assembly we held before the Lord?” they asked. For they had sworn a sacred oath that anyone who did not come before the Lord at Mizpah would without exception be executed.
6 Na Israelfoɔ no dii yea wɔ Benyaminfoɔ no ho kaa sɛ, “Ɛnnɛ yi, abusuakuo baako afiri yɛn mu; na nʼase reyɛ atɔre.
The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin, saying, “Today one tribe has been hacked 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 shall we do about wives for those who are left, since we have sworn an oath before the Lord that we will not allow any of our daughters to marry them?”
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.
Then they asked, “Which one of all the tribes of Israel didn't attend the assembly we held before the Lord at Mizpah?” They found out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly,
9 Na wɔkan nnipa no nyinaa no, wɔannya obiara a ɔfiri Yabes Gilead.
for once they had done a head count, there was nobody there from Jabesh-gilead.
10 Enti, wɔsomaa akofoɔ mpem dumienu kɔɔ Yabes Gilead sɛ wɔnkɔkunkum obiara a ɔwɔ hɔ a mmaa ne mmɔfra ka ho.
So the assembly sent twelve thousand of their best warriors there. They gave them orders, saying, “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with your swords, even the women and children.
11 Wɔkaa sɛ, “Yei na ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ. Monkum ɔbarima ne ɔbaa biara a ɔnyɛ ɔbaabunu.”
This is what you have to do: Destroy every male and every woman who has had sex with a man.”
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.
They managed to find among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred virgins who had not had sex with a man. They took them to the camp 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.
Then the whole assembly sent a message to the Benjamites at Pomegranate Rock to tell 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.
So the men of Benjamin went back home, and gave to them the four hundred women from Jabesh-gilead who had been spared as wives. However, there wasn't enough for all of them.
15 Nnipa no dii Benyaminfoɔ no ho yea, sɛ Awurade ama mpaapaemu aba Israel mmusuakuo no mu.
The people felt sorry for the Benjamites because the Lord had made this empty hole among the Israelite tribes.
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?
The elders of the assembly asked, “What shall we do to supply the remaining wives because all the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
17 Ɛsɛ sɛ Benyaminfoɔ a aka no nya adedifoɔ sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, Israel abusuakuo bi ase ntɔre.
They added, “There have to be heirs for the Benjamite survivors—an Israelite tribe of Israel can't be wiped out.
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.”
But we can't let them have our daughters as wives, since we as the people of Israel swore a sacred oath, saying, ‘Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite is cursed!’”
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.
Then they said, “Look! Every year there's the Lord's festival in Shiloh. It's held north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, south of Lebonah.”
20 Na wɔka kyerɛɛ Benyamin mmarima a wɔda so hwehwɛ yerenom no sɛ, “Monkɔtɛ wɔ bobe nturo no mu.
So they ordered the Benjamites, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
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.
Keep a lookout, and when you see the young women from Shiloh come out to perform their dances, run out from the vineyards, and each of you abduct a wife for yourself and go back home 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.’”
If their fathers or brothers come complaining to us, we'll tell them, ‘Please do us a favor, because we couldn't find enough wives for them in the war. And it's not as if you're guilty of breaking the oath since you didn't give them in marriage.”
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.
The Benjaminites did as they were ordered. Each man grabbed one of the women dancers up to the total needed and carried her off to be his wife. Then they went back to their own land, where they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.
24 Na Israelfoɔ mmusuakuo ne mmusua no firii hɔ sane kɔɔ wɔn ankasa afie mu.
Then the Israelites left and went home to their tribes and families, each one going to the land they owned.
25 Saa ɛberɛ no na Israel nni ɔhene, enti na deɛ nnipa no gye di sɛ ɛyɛ wɔ wɔn ani so no na wɔyɛ.
At that time Israel didn't have a king—everyone did what they themselves thought was the right thing to do.
