Judges 21
1 Àwọn ọkùnrin Israẹli ti búra ní Mispa pé, “Kò sí ẹnìkan nínú wa tí yóò fi ọmọ obìnrin rẹ̀ fún ẹ̀yà Benjamini ní ìyàwó.”
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 Àwọn ènìyàn náà lọ sí Beteli: ilé Ọlọ́run, níbi tí wọ́n jókòó níwájú Ọlọ́run títí di àṣálẹ́, wọ́n gbé ohùn wọn sókè, wọ́n sì sọkún kíkorò.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 Wọ́n sọkún wí pé, “Háà! Olúwa Ọlọ́run Israẹli, èéṣe tí nǹkan yìí fi ṣẹlẹ̀ sí Israẹli? Èéṣe tí ẹ̀yà kan yóò fi run nínú Israẹli lónìí?”
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 Ní òwúrọ̀ ọjọ́ kejì àwọn ènìyàn náà mọ pẹpẹ kan wọ́n sì rú ẹbọ sísun àti ọrẹ àlàáfíà.
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 Àwọn ọmọ Israẹli sì béèrè wí pé, “Èwo nínú ẹ̀yà Israẹli ni ó kọ̀ láti péjọ síwájú Olúwa?” Torí pé wọ́n ti fi ìbúra ńlá búra pé, ẹnikẹ́ni tí ó bá kọ̀ láti péjọ níwájú Olúwa ní Mispa pípa ni àwọn yóò pa á.
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 Àwọn ọmọ Israẹli sì banújẹ́ fún àwọn arákùnrin wọn, àwọn ẹ̀yà Benjamini. Wọ́n wí pé, “A ti ké ẹ̀yà kan kúrò lára Israẹli lónìí.”
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 Báwo ni a yóò ṣe rí aya fún àwọn tí ó ṣẹ́kù, nítorí àwa ti fi Olúwa búra láti má fi ọ̀kankan nínú àwọn ọmọbìnrin wa fún wọn ní aya.
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 Wọ́n sì béèrè wí pé, “Èwo ni nínú ẹ̀yà Israẹli ni ó kọ̀ láti bá àwọn ènìyàn péjọ níwájú Olúwa ní Mispa?” Wọ́n rí i pé kò sí ẹnikẹ́ni tí ó wa láti Jabesi Gileadi tí ó wá sí ibùdó fún àjọ náà.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Nítorí pé nígbà tí wọ́n ka àwọn ènìyàn, wọ́n rí i pé kò sí ẹnìkankan láti inú àwọn ará Jabesi Gileadi tí ó wà níbẹ̀.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Àwọn ìjọ ènìyàn náà sì rán ẹgbàá mẹ́fà àwọn jagunjagun ọkùnrin, lọ sí Jabesi Gileadi wọ́n fún wọn ní àṣẹ pé, ẹ lọ fi idà kọlu gbogbo àwọn tí ó wà níbẹ̀, pẹ̀lú àwọn obìnrin àti àwọn ọmọ wẹ́wẹ́.
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 Wọ́n ní, “Èyí ni ẹ̀yin yóò ṣe, ẹ pa gbogbo ọkùnrin àti gbogbo obìnrin tí kì í ṣe wúńdíá.”
[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 Wọ́n rí àwọn irinwó ọ̀dọ́bìnrin tí kò mọ ọkùnrin rí nínú àwọn olùgbé Jabesi Gileadi, wọ́n sì mú wọn lọ sí ibùdó ní Ṣilo àwọn ará Kenaani.
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 Gbogbo ìjọ àwọn ènìyàn sì ránṣẹ́ àlàáfíà sí àwọn Benjamini ní ihò àpáta Rimoni.
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 Àwọn ẹ̀yà Benjamini náà sì padà ní àkókò náà, wọ́n sì fún wọn ní àwọn obìnrin Jabesi Gileadi. Ṣùgbọ́n wọn kò kárí gbogbo wọn.
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 Àwọn ènìyàn náà sì káàánú nítorí ẹ̀yà Benjamini, nítorí Olúwa fi àlàfo kan sílẹ̀ nínú àwọn ẹ̀yà Israẹli.
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 Àwọn olórí ìjọ àwọn ènìyàn náà wí pé, “Kí ni àwa yóò ṣe láti rí aya fún àwọn ọkùnrin tí ó kù nígbà tí a ti pa gbogbo àwọn obìnrin Benjamini run?”
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 Wọ́n sì wí pé, “Àwọn tí ó ṣẹ́kù tí wọ́n là nínú àwọn ẹ̀yà Benjamini ní láti ní ogún àti àrólé, kí ẹ̀yà kan nínú Israẹli má ṣe di píparun kúrò ní orí ilẹ̀.
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 Àwa kò le fi àwọn ọmọbìnrin wa fún wọn ní aya, nítorí tí àwa ọmọ Israẹli ti ṣe ìbúra yìí pé, ‘Ègún ni fún ẹnikẹ́ni tí ó fi aya fún ẹnikẹ́ni nínú ẹ̀yà Benjamini.’”
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 Wọ́n sì wí pé, “Kíyèsi i ayẹyẹ ọlọ́dọọdún fún Olúwa wà ní Ṣilo ní ìhà àríwá Beteli àti ìhà ìlà-oòrùn òpópó náà tí ó gba Beteli kọjá sí Ṣekemu, àti sí ìhà gúúsù Lebona.”
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 Wọ́n sì fi àṣẹ fún àwọn ará Benjamini pé, “Ẹ lọ kí ẹ sì fi ara pamọ́ nínú àwọn ọgbà àjàrà
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 kí ẹ sì wà ní ìmúrasílẹ̀. Nígbà tí àwọn ọmọbìnrin Ṣilo bá jáde láti lọ darapọ̀ fún ijó, kí ẹ yára jáde láti inú àwọn ọgbà àjàrà wọ̀n-ọn-nì kí ẹnìkọ̀ọ̀kan yín gbé aya kan nínú àwọn ọmọbìnrin Ṣilo kí ẹ padà sí ilẹ̀ Benjamini.
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 Nígbà tí àwọn baba wọn tàbí àwọn arákùnrin wọn bá fi ẹjọ́ sùn wá, àwa yóò wí fún wọn pé, ‘Ẹ ṣe wá ní oore nípa ríràn wọ́n lọ́wọ́, nítorí àwa kò rí aya fún wọn ní àkókò ogun, ẹ̀yin kò sì ní jẹ̀bi, nítorí pé ẹ̀yin kọ́ ni ó fi àwọn ọmọbìnrin yín fún wọn bí aya.’”
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 Èyí sì ni ohun tí àwọn ẹ̀yà Benjamini ṣe. Nígbà tí àwọn ọmọbìnrin náà ń jó lọ́wọ́, ọkùnrin kọ̀ọ̀kan mú ọmọbìnrin kọ̀ọ̀kan, wọ́n sì gbé e lọ láti di aya rẹ̀. Wọ́n sì padà sí ilẹ̀ ìní wọn, wọ́n sì tún àwọn ìlú náà kọ́, wọ́n sì tẹ̀dó sínú wọn.
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 Ní àkókò náà, àwọn ọmọ Israẹli kúrò ní ibẹ̀, wọ́n lọ sí ilé àti ẹ̀yà rẹ̀ olúkúlùkù sí ilẹ̀ ìní rẹ̀.
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 Ní àwọn ọjọ́ wọ̀nyí, kò sí ọba ní ilẹ̀ Israẹli; olúkúlùkù sì ń ṣe bí ó ti tọ́ ní ojú ara rẹ̀.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
